Clinical epidemiological behavior of pediatric patients with a diagnosis of arterial hypertension

Abstract

Introduction: arterial hypertension at early ages is an important pathology that can lead to disorders in the normal development of infants and if not treated promptly can evolve to chronicity and trigger secondary pathologies such as renal failure and heart disease. Objective: to clinico-epidemiologically characterize pediatric patients diagnosed with arterial hypertension. Methods: an observational, descriptive and retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on the behavior of arterial hypertension in children and adolescents attended at the "Hermanos Cordové" hospital in the period from January 2015 to December 2018. The sample was selected by non-probabilistic purposive sampling, it was constituted by 48 children and adolescents. Results: the male sex was the most affected for 58.3 %; while by age ranges the most affected were patients aged 15-19 years for 50 %. The white race was the most affected with 62.5 %. The most predominant cardiovascular risk factor and clinical manifestation were obesity and headache (37.5% and 95.8%, respectively). The most predominant type of arterial hypertension was primary hypertension with 91.6 %. Conclusions: the study showed that the most affected sex was male and that the white race was the most affected. By age groups, the most affected were those aged 15-19 years. The cardiovascular risk factor and the most frequent clinical manifestation were obesity and headache.

Keywords

• hipertensión
• factores de riesgo
• obesidad
• cefalea
• niños
• adolescente