Management of Hypertension in Children and Adolescents With the Metabolic Syndrome

Because elevated blood pressure is one of the defining criteria of the metabolic syndrome, treatment of hypertension will be required in many, if not most, children and adolescents diagnosed with the metabolic syndrome. This review highlights several aspects of the approach to treatment of hypertension in young patients with the metabolic syndrome, including the definition of hypertension, use of nonpharmacologic measures, indications for instituting antihypertensive medications, and the potential adjunctive role that insulin-sensitizing agents may play in blood pressure reduction. The choice of antihypertensive agent is also discussed, along with consideration of the diabetogenic effects of various classes of antihypertensive agents. Consideration of all of these issues is important in achieving blood pressure control in children and adolescents with the metabolic syndrome, as appropriate treatment may help to forestall the development not only of type 2 diabetes but also of the cardiovascular disease that is frequently already present at the time of diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in adults.