It is no secret that the United States and much of the developed world are in the midst of a pediatric obesity epidemic. Perhaps less recognized is that childhood hypertension is now one of the most common health concerns in children. Recent data from NHANES demonstrate prehypertension or hypertension in 19.2% of adolescent-age boys and 12.6% of girls, an estimated 38% increase compared with NHANES III data collected from 1988 to 1994.1 In their analysis in this issue of Pediatrics, Kaelber and colleagues2 used data from the Comparative Effectiveness Research from the Collaborative Electronic Reporting Consortium, a network of over 2000 pediatric primary care clinicians coordinated by the American Academy of Pediatrics, to evaluate the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric hypertension. Their study population included just under 400 000 children (ages 3–18 years) evaluated in primary care settings between 1999 and 2014. They document a 3.3% prevalence...
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December 2016
Commentary|
December 01 2016
Childhood Hypertension: An Underappreciated Epidemic?
Kevin D. Hill, MD;
Duke Clinical Research Institute and Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina
Address correspondence to Kevin D. Hill, MD, MSCI, Duke Clinical Research Institute and Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, P.O. Box 17969, Durham, NC 27715. E-mail: kevin.hill@duke.edu
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Jennifer S. Li, MD
Jennifer S. Li, MD
Duke Clinical Research Institute and Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina
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Address correspondence to Kevin D. Hill, MD, MSCI, Duke Clinical Research Institute and Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, P.O. Box 17969, Durham, NC 27715. E-mail: kevin.hill@duke.edu
POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The authors have indicated they have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.
Pediatrics (2016) 138 (6): e20162857.
Article history
Accepted:
September 22 2016
Citation
Kevin D. Hill, Jennifer S. Li; Childhood Hypertension: An Underappreciated Epidemic?. Pediatrics December 2016; 138 (6): e20162857. 10.1542/peds.2016-2857
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