THERMOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF FUNCTIONAL COLD TEST IN SCHOOLCHILDREN WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION

Abstract

Introduction. Hypertension is in the focus of pediatricians worldwide, as it is one of the most common diseases in modern pediatric cardiology. Methods. 61 school-age children were examined. They were divided into three groups: the 1st group included children with hypertension, the 2nd group – children with prehypertension, and the control group consisted of children with normal blood pressure. Infrared thermography in children was performed on the back surface of the hands, remotely, using a certified thermal imager with professional software. Thermographic evaluation of the hands after the cold test was performed immediately after the end of the test, after 1 and 2 minutes, and the final degree of recovery of heat radiation was determined after 15 minutes. The study found that in children with hypertension, the decrease in temperature after a cold test was probably higher than in children from the control group. Children with prehypertension also had a slightly greater decrease in temperature compared with children in the control group. The obtained significant difference between the indicators of children with hypertension and children from the control group may be due to worse compensatory mechanisms of the microcirculatory tract, lower capillary density, the presence of local spasm of venules and arterioles in them. In addition, children with hypertension have increased vascular resistance, which also affects the level of fall and recovery of local temperature, because thermal emission is a direct reflection of microcirculation in the fingers of the child. Conclusion. Children with hypertension are likely to have a greater decrease in the maximum temperature of thermal emission on the fingers and a slower recovery of heat radiation after a cold test, in contrast to children in the control group, due to microcirculation disorders.