Projects

Project Description

The prevalence of hypertension (HTN) in children and adolescents has been increasing over the past two decades, with rates ranging from 1 to 5% (1–3). Elevated blood pressure (BP) in childhood has been correlated with higher BP later in life as well as increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)(4). Additionally, BP trajectory from childhood to young adulthood has been associated with target organ changes, specifically left ventricular mass index and carotid-media thickness(5). Although it is critically important to identify and manage young hypertensive patients, hypertension is frequently undiagnosed in the pediatric population(6).