High blood pressure in children: problems and guidelines for evaluation and treatment.

Evidence is presented from studies of the authors and of other investigators that primary hypertension is more common in children than was previously thought. Ninety-five percent of 131 asymptomatic children with incidental hypertension were considered to have primary hypertension after investigation for possible causes. The definition of hypertension was based on normal ranges of blood pressure for each age and sex. However, the definition of juvenile hypertension is still unsettled as is the question of treatment. Investigation of the effect of prolonged antihypertensive therapy on growth and development is needed. Primary hypertension in the young makes possible the study of the disease at its inception.