Blood pressure variability, prehypertension, and hypertension in adolescents

lood pressure variability, prehypertension, and hypertension in adolescents Review (2271) Total Article Views Authors: Batisky DL Published Date May 2012 Volume 2012:3 Pages 43 - 50 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/AHMT.S15942 Received: 18 May 2011 Accepted: 24 March 2012 Published: 07 May 2012 Donald L Batisky Emory Children's Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA Abstract: Medical conditions diagnosed during adolescence may have long term impacts on the health of an individual. As a result, identifying cardiovascular risk factors earlier in life such as prehypertension (pre-HTN) and hypertension (HTN) can have significant benefits across an individual's lifespan. Diagnosing elevated blood pressure (BP) during adolescence can be difficult, partially due to the natural variability that occurs during this period of life. Levels of BP that define adolescent prehypertension/hypertension are provided as well as an abridged review of BP variability across research groups. Strategies for BP management of adolescents are considered, with the primary focus on nonpharmacologic interventions.