Background: Hypertension (HTN) is a signifi cant public health problem worldwide. Early diagnosis of HTN and its related risk factors has been considered as one of the main requirements of general healthcare in children. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the nomograms of normal systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) and the prevalence of asymptomatic HTN and pre-HTN in a population of school-aged children. Methods: Systolic and diastolic BP, height, and weight were measured in 5811 healthy school-aged children (2904 males and 2907 females) during healthcare visits. HTN was defi ned as systolic or diastolic BP  95th percentile for age, gender, and height of the screened population on  3 occasions. Pre-HTN was considered as systolic or diastolic BP between 90-95 percentile. Results: HTN and pre-HTN were detected in 8. 4% and 7. 8% of the children, respectively. The prevalence of HTN was 8. 6% among the males and 8. 2% among the females. Systolic HTN and pre-HTN were detected in 5. 8 and 6. 4% of the cases compared to diastolic HTN and pre-HTN observed in 5. 9 and 6. 1% of the participants, respectively. In addition, HTN was detected in 27. 9% of children with obesity. Conclusions: According to the high incidence of asymptomatic HTN and pre-HTN in asymptomatic children, it is recommended to perform routine BP measurement during medical care visits of all healthy school children and to prevent and treat obesity in childhood.

Background: Estimating the prevalence of PREHYPERTENSION and its risk factors in a population becomes important to design preventive measures and hence reduce the burden of hypertension. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of PREHYPERTENSION and determine the factors associated with hypertension.Methods: This is a cross‑sectional study and was carried out in a rural population. The study included 402 participants. Data regarding basic demographic characteristics were collected along with anthropometric measurements including height and weight. Information regarding smoking alcohol intake, dietary habits were collected. PREHYPERTENSION was defined as systolic blood pressure 120-139 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure 80-89 mm Hg. Chi‑square‑test was used to find the association of various risk factors; t‑test was used to compare the means. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to know the relationship of various risk factors.Results: Prevalence of PREHYPERTENSION was estimated to be 28.8%. Factors such as salt intake, tobacco consumption, alcohol consumption, stress, family history of hypertension, history of diabetes mellitus had a significant association with PREHYPERTENSION (P < 0.05).Conclusions: The prevalence of PREHYPERTENSION was found to be high among the rural population. Early intervention is needed to decrease the burden of hypertension and its complications in future.

Background: PREHYPERTENSION is a major risk factor for development of hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. The incidence of PREHYPERTENSION is rising, the outcomes are poor, and the costs are high.Methods: The fourth Task Force Report on High blood pressure (BP) in Children and Adolescents does not consider PREHYPERTENSION to be a disease category, but rather a designation to identify individuals at high risk of developing hypertension, so that both patients and clinicians are alerted to this risk and encouraged to intervene and prevent or delay the disease from developing.Findings: Children and adolescents with PREHYPERTENSION can develop target organ damage including left ventricular hypertrophy, increased intima-media thickness and diastolic dysfunction. The goal of PREHYPERTENSION treatment in adolescents is to reach a BP level of<120/80 mm Hg. Physical activity and lifestyle modifications are the foundation of treatment for PREHYPERTENSION. Lifestyle interventions include weight reduction for overweight children, a regular aerobic exercise regimen, salt restriction, and adopting DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). Achieving a normal body weight (BMI 18.5 to 24.0 kg/m2) may reduce systolic BP as much as 20 mm Hg and adopting DASH could result in a drop in systolic BP as great as 14 mm Hg. Keeping stress levels down also can help prevent progression of PREHYPERTENSION to full-blown hypertension. Pharmacologic therapy is recommended for PREHYPERTENSION associated with diabetes, chronic kidney disease cardiovascular disease or those who exhibit insufficient response to lifestyle modifications after 4 to 6 months.Conclusion: The recent findings in the management of PREHYPERTENSION in adolescents provide preventive strategies including lifestyle modifications and hypotensive therapy to reduce PREHYPERTENSION risk and progression.