Prevalence of Hypertension among Children Based on the New American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Practice Guidelines

In 2017, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of hypertension in children. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of hypertension in Iranian children based on the latest guidelines.

Data on 7301 student participants (3589 boys and 3712 girls) aged between 7-12 yr were assessed. The data were extracted from the fifth Childhood and Adolescence Surveillance and Prevention of Adult Non-communicable Disease (CASPIAN V) school-based study conducted in the 30 provinces of Iran in 2015. Blood pressure (BP) was classified as normal, elevated BP, and stage 1 and 2 hypertension using weighted analysis and the 2017 AAP guidelines. All analyses were performed in STATA 14.0 statistical software, with findings presented in terms of prevalence.

The overall prevalence of high BP in Iranian children was 14.7%. In addition, 15.1% of boys had high BP, with 9.4% and 1.7% of them with stage 1 and 2 hypertension, respectively. Moreover, 14.3% of girls had high BP, of which 10% had stage 1 and 1.3% with stage 2 hypertension. For elevated hypertension, it was observed in 4% of boys and 3% of girls.

Using the 2017 AAP guidelines demonstrated a higher prevalence of hypertension in children (14.7%) in Iran. The prevalence of hypertension in boys was slightly higher compared to girls.