The Frequency of Elevated Blood Pressure in Obese Minority Youth

In this study, 167 obese persons were recruited (45 African Americans, 122 Caribbean Hispanic persons), with a mean age of 14.6+/-2.1 years, a mean body mass index (BMI) of 38+/-7.5 kg/m(2), and mean BMI Z-score of 2.47+/-0.36; 31 nonobese youth were recruited as controls (7 African Americans, 24 Caribbean Hispanic persons), with a mean age of 14.6+/-2.1 years, a mean BMI of 20+/-2.8 kg/m(2), and a mean BMI Z-score of -0.08+/-0.87. The objective was to assess the frequency of elevated blood pressure in obese minority youth. Weight, height, blood pressure (BP), and various biochemical markers were measured in each participant. Overall, 31% of the obese patients had elevated BP, compared with 3% of the control participants. Obese persons with elevated BP had significantly higher BMI, BMI Z-scores, and hemoglobin A1c levels. The frequency of elevated BP and the degree of systolic BP elevation increased with increasing BMI Z-score. Elevated BP was 10 times more frequent in obese minority youth, emphasizing the importance of screening for hypertension in this high-risk population.