Alarming rise in prevalence of obesity among children with essential hypertension: Reflection of larger global epidemiological change of adolescent nutritional status

IF 2.3 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health Pub Date : 2025-01-25 DOI:10.1016/j.cegh.2025.101948

Vishwak Gundeti, Shrikiran Aroor, Koushik H, Leslie E. Lewis, Suneel C. Mundkur, Ramesh Bhat Y, Pushpa Kini

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Abstract

Background

Young-onset hypertension is emerging as a substantial public health issue globally, especially in children and adolescents. The rising incidence of essential hypertension in pediatric populations is chiefly attributable to changes in lifestyle and obesity.

Aim

This study assesses the clinical characteristics, risk factors, and causes of hypertension in children aged 1 month to 18 years with a focus on essential hypertension and obesity.

Methods

A prospective observational study was undertaken at the Department of Paediatrics of a tertiary care medical college in Southern India from October 2022 to July 2024. The research encompassed 116 children aged 1 month to 18 years admitted with hypertension, diagnosed as per 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines. Data encompassing demographic information, familial history - risk factors for hypertension, anthropometric parameters, and clinical characteristics were gathered. Details of diagnostic evaluations conducted, comprising blood tests, imaging studies, and hormonal analyses were analyzed.

Results

The prevalence of hypertension among the admitted children during the study period was found to be 1.6 %. Renal parenchymal disorders accounted for the major cause of hypertension (68.9 %), followed by essential hypertension (15.5 %). In children with essential hypertension, obesity/overweight was the most common risk factor, observed in 72.2 % of patients, followed by family history of hypertension (44.4 %). Hypertensive urgency and emergency were seen in 14 (13.3 %) and 6 (5.7 %) patients.

Conclusion

There has been a substantial increase in the proportion of essential hypertension among children and a significant rise in the incidence of overweight/obesity among children with essential hypertension. Timely screening, lifestyle alterations, and effective care are essential for reducing long-term problems related to paediatric hypertension.

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来源期刊

Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

CiteScore

4.60

自引率

7.70%

发文量

218

审稿时长

66 days

期刊介绍： Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health (CEGH) is a multidisciplinary journal and it is published four times (March, June, September, December) a year. The mandate of CEGH is to promote articles on clinical epidemiology with focus on developing countries in the context of global health. We also accept articles from other countries. It publishes original research work across all disciplines of medicine and allied sciences, related to clinical epidemiology and global health. The journal publishes Original articles, Review articles, Evidence Summaries, Letters to the Editor. All articles published in CEGH are peer-reviewed and published online for immediate access and citation.