M. Rumboldt

Presented are the peculiarities of elevated blood pressure in children and adolescents. The expected prevalence of hypertension in this age group amounts at 1-4 per cent. Its largest portion is due to essential hypertension, which not long ago was deemed to be quite rare. Elevated blood pressure is estimated from the percentile distribution, according to age and degree of development (height) in boys and girls. Because the birth weight is inversely proportional to adult arterial pressure (the Barker hypothesis), and since it has been shown that the offspring of premature coronary victims have much higher blood pressure and other risk factors than their counterparts, targeted preventive activities are particularly indicated in such "risky" children. It seems that these interventions enhance the current downward trend in adolescent blood pressure registered in developed countries.