Prevalence of elevated blood pressure in children and adolescents in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

None.

High blood pressure in children attending pediatric clinic at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

“…In agreement with others,[2324] no gender difference was detected in the prevalence of hypertension in children in the current survey. However, male children were more likely to have prehypertension.…”

“…The pooled prevalence was 5.5%. [24] The difference in the rate of hypertension and prehypertension observed between those studies should be borne in mind in the light of the difference in the ages of the children as well as the protocol used in diagnosis of hypertension.…”

“…This finding agrees with several previously published studies carried out worldwide. [21202426] Moreover, Mavrakanas et al ., 2009, observed that obese children had a 5–6-fold higher risk of hypertension than normal children. [27] Obese children might also become victims of bullying, which ultimately results in low self-esteem, anxiety, and shyness, and stress,[20] causing such chronic medical conditions as hypertension.…”

Prevalence of high blood pressure and associated factors among adolescents and young people in Tanzania and Uganda

“…On stratification by sex, the prevalence of pre-hypertension among males increased sharply from 17% (95% CI: 9-28) in 12-14 years to 47% (95% CI: 41-54) in 21-24 years, whereas among females in same-age groups, the increment was modest, from 16% (95% CI: 9-25) to 24% (95% CI: [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. In contrast, the prevalence of hypertension did not show a clear trend among males and a decreasing trend among females.…”

High blood pressure in the young: why should we care?

“…A recent survey of ~62 000 Chinese children found that high BP affected 10.2% of boys and 8.9% of girls; as in studies conducted in the United States , children with obesity had higher rates of abnormal BP. Finally, a meta‐analysis of studies from several African countries found a pooled prevalence of HTN (BP ≥95th percentile) of 5.5% and a prevalence of elevated BP (BP ≥90th and <95th percentiles) of 12.7%, again with a higher prevalence in children with elevated body mass index .…”