#76 Systolic blood pressure growth in us children and adolescents

PURPOSE: Rapid height and weight changes occur from infancy throughout adolescence. The rate of weight and height changes contributes markedly to blood pressure change during childrenʹs physical growth. Longitudinal assessment of systolic blood pressure (SBP), using growth modeling, has not been described in the U.S. This study evaluates the differences in SBP growth among four gender-ethnic groups: African American boys, African American girls, Caucasian boys, and Caucasian girls. METHODS: Subjects were 6 to 9 years old at entry, and were followed up for 12 years. A total of 19 semi-annual and annual SBP measurements were made. The population was restricted to subjects with a minimum of 5 timed measurements (n = 1,302). Repeated SBP measures were analyzed using the Gompertz growth model. RESULTS: Two parameters of SBP growth were evaluated: (1) the initial SBP level at study entry, and (2) the asymptote level (e.g., the level at which SBP growth diminishes). The average age of children at entry was 7.72 (±0.7) years. The mean and standard error of the initial SBP level (millimeters of mercury or mmHg) was highest in Caucasian boys (102.8 ± 0.5), followed by African American boys (99.4 ± 0.8), Caucasian girls (84.9 ± 0.7), and African American girls (82.2 ± 0.8). The asymptote level (mmHg) was highest among Caucasian boys (111.1 ± 0.4), followed by African American boys (110.6 ± 0.5), African American girls (107.1 ± 0.5), and Caucasian girls (105.3 ± 0.4). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that longitudinal changes in SBP differ among children in the four gender-ethnic groups.