Via practica 3/2020

Arterial hypertension in adolescents

The prevalence of arterial hypertension in adolescents has significantly increased during recent years, among others due to an increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity. It is necessary in the diagnostic process to exclude secondary hypertension, to determine end-organ damage and the assessment of additional cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors. Also ambulatory blood pressure monitoring helps diagnose arterial hypertension and evaluate treatment effectiveness. Even for individuals with high normal blood pressure values, life style modifications with weight optimization are recommended. Pharmacological treatment is indicated for Grade 1 arterial hypertension with additional risk factors, higher grade arterial hypertension, and secondary hypertension. The choice of medication should be based on concomitant diseases and risk factors as well as the side effect profile. The aim is a long-lasting normalization of blood pressure in order to prevent cardiovascular complications.

Keywords: arterial hypertension in adolescents, diagnostics, non-pharmacological treatment, pharmacological treatment