Survey of Elevated Blood Pressure in Children

Background: Hypertension is one of the leading risk factors for death, one of the main risks of cardiovascular disease. Clinical characteristics of hypertension are diverse, the early detection of symptoms of hypertension contributes significantly to early diagnosis and treatment. In Can Tho, there is little research on hypertension in children. Objectives: Describe the clinical and subclinical characteristics of hypertensive children being treated at the Cardiology Department, Can Tho Children’s Hospital. Materials and methods: Analytical descriptive cross-sectional study on 96 pediatric patients diagnosed with hypertension at Can Tho Pediatrics Hospital. Research subjects: Pediatric patients (<16 years old) being treated at the department who are expected to have hypertension over a period of time. Sample selection criteria: Pediatric patients are expected to have hypertension determined according to the standards of the new Guidelines in Clinical Practice of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2017. Exclusion criteria: Family members do not agree to allow the patient to participate in the study. Children are not appropriate for measuring BP due tocongenital anomalies: Ventricular septal defect, Atrial septal defect, Patent ductus arteriosus, Tetralogy of Fallot. Results: The common age group is under 13 years old (60.4%). The male and female gender ratio is approximately 2.1/1. The stage 2 hypertension classification is the most common (49.8%). The rate of neurological, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular symptoms was 59.4%, respectively; 19.8%; 24%. And there is no association between gastrointestinal, cardiovascular clinical symptoms and the grade of hypertension (p>0.05). Hyperlipidemia, HbA1C in children with hypertension accounted for a high rate of 47.1% and 50%. While in BUN disorder, proteinuria accounted for a low rate of 5.3% and 26.3%. No abnormalities were noted on renal Doppler ultrasound. The rate of abnormal results on echocardiography, chest X-ray and ECG was 53.3%; 23.3%;13.7% respectively.