New Diagnostic Criteria for Hypertension in Children and Adolescents: Lights and Shadows

Abstract

Pediatric hypertension (HTN) represents a challenging disease with a major cardiometabolic risk (CMR) burden from childhood to adulthood. In fact, it has been linked to cardiac and vascular damage even at pediatric age and recognized as an independent risk factor for HTN in adulthood. Therefore, HTN in children has gained remarkable scientific interest during the past decades. However, the availability of different diagnostic classifications complicates HTN definition. The Clinical Practice Guidelines released in 2017 updated the diagnostic criteria, by highlighting some important issues with clinical implications. Lowering the new cut-offs proposed by the CPG, as compared with those proposed by IV Report criteria, will increase the number of young people at risk of hypertension. However, evidence suggests that the CPG cutoff-points in further identifying subjects with an altered CMR profile. Currently, some issues are still debated such as the adoption of a fixed cut-off of BP ≥ 130/80 mmHg for children aged ≥ 13 years, or the adoption of criteria for cardiac damage derived from adults. Given the CMR burden of pediatric HTN, a better and early identification of children at higher HTN risk is strictly recommended in order to improve HTN management to reduce the cardiovascular risk in these youths.