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

Simin  Darvish Noori Kalaki; Fatemeh  Darabi; Mohammed I M  Gubari; Mehdi  Yaseri; Mohammad  Esmail Motlagh; Ramin  Heshmat; Mostafa  Qorbani; Michael E.  Jones; Saeed  Safari; Alireza  Baratloo; Masoud  Baikpour; Mahmoud  Yousefifard; Mostafa  Hosseini; Roya  Kelishadi

doi:10.18502/ijph.v52i1.11679

Simin Darvish Noori Kalaki Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Fatemeh Darabi Department of Public Health, Asadabad School of Medical Sciences, Asadabad, Iran
Mohammed I M Gubari Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Iraq
Mehdi Yaseri Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Esmail Motlagh Department of Pediatrics, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Ramin Heshmat Chronic Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mostafa Qorbani Chronic Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Michael E. Jones Division of Genetics and Epidemiology, the Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
Saeed Safari Emergency Department, Shohadye Tajrish Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Alireza Baratloo Pre-Hospital and Hospital Emergency Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Masoud Baikpour Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mahmoud Yousefifard Physiology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mostafa Hosseini Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Roya Kelishadi Department of Pediatrics, Child Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-Communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v52i1.11679

Keywords: Hypertension; Children; Prevalence; Blood pressure; Iran

Abstract

Background: 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.

Methods: 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.

Results: 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.

Conclusion: 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.