Cardiovascular Characteristics in Adolescents Who Develop Essential Hypertension

SUMMARY The risk parameters for the development of essential hypertension (EH) were evaluated In a group of adolescents with borderline hypertension. A population comprised of 50 adolescents with systolic or diastolic blood pressure between the 90th and 95th percentile was compared to a normotenslve (< 90%) family history-negative control population. Evaluative parameters included genetic risk, resting blood pressure, resting heart rate, and cardiovascular response to mental stress. In a follow-up period of up to 41 months, 28 borderline hypertensive adolescents (56%) developed fixed EH. At the time of initial evaluation, these 28 hypertensive adolescents had a strong family history of EH, higher resting heart rate (p < 0.01) and blood pressure (p < 0.01), and a greater cardiovascular response to mental stress (p < 0.001) compared to the normotenslve family history-negative control population. Time series analysis of the stress phase also demonstrated a rhythmic cardiovascular response In the normotensive group [p < 0.05) that was not present in the hypertensive group. These results indicate that adolescents with borderline hypertension displaying these characteristics have a greater risk for EH than previously reported.