Predictive signs of complicated course of essential arterial hypertension in adolescents aged 16–17 years old

Abstract

Background. The rapid development of complications of essential arterial hypertension (AH) in adolescents 16–17 years old, who expose a psychological overload while studying at a higher school, creates prerequisites for predicting the course of hypertension. Materials and methods. The basic group of the study diagnosed with AH consisted of 84 adolescents, 40 (47.6 %) boys and 44 (52.4 %) girls, who according to the office blood pressure (BP) measurements with an interval of one to two weeks at least 2 times had BP values ≥ 120/80 mm Hg, and were found to have blood pressure load > 95 percentile 25–50 % and more of the day time by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). For comparison of the studied parameters, we used data from the control group, which consisted of 40 adolescents (13 (32.5 %) boys and 27 (67.5 %) girls) with normotension. The results of observations were processed using the medical statistics program Statistica version 6.0. Results. The unfavorable predictors of the development of stable AH revealed an average heart rate at night of more than 62 per mi­nute by Holter monitoring, the average daily pulse pressure on the ABPM was more than 57 mm Hg and the body mass index (BMI) is above 25 kg/m2. The risk factors for left ventricular (LV) remo­deling included the excess increase in the thickness of the posterior wall of the LV of more than 8.0 mm at the time of the diagnosis of hypertension, BMI over 25 kg/m2 and average daily pulse pressure over 57 mm Hg by ABPM. Conclusions. If an unfavorable course of hypertension is predicted, then it is necessary to combine non-pharmacological methods of treatment with drug ones.

Keywords

• adolescents
• essential hypertension
• left ventricular remodeling
• predictive factors