#82 Hypertension among primary school children with glucosuria and/or proteinuria

PURPOSE: The authors sought to examine the risk of hypertension for children who were glucosuria and/or proteinuria positive. METHODS: A mass screening of urine for glucosuria and/or proteinuria was conducted each semester for grade students in Taiwan. Students whose urine tested positive at least twice in consecutive measurements underwent a third examination as well as measurement of blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, cholesterol and other health evaluation. This report analyzed data of primary school children who received a third urine exam at ages 6 to 12 years old in 1997–2000. RESULTS: Among 21,332 students undergoing a third urine examination, the prevalence of hypertension was higher in boys (6.57%, N = 425) than in girls (4.76%, N = 698). Compared to students with normal blood pressure, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that boys had a 43% higher risk of hypertension than girls. A significant dose-response relationship was apparent for childhood hypertension with body mass index (BMI). Compared to students with a BMI of less than the 50th percentile, students in 50–85th percentile for BMI had odds ratios (ORs) of 1.9 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.6–2.3) for being significantly hypertensive and of 2.4 (95% CI = 1.8–3.1) for being severely hypertensive. The corresponding Ors, for students whose BMIs were in the 85th percentile or higher, were 3.9 (95% CI = 3.1–4.8) and 6.5 (95% CI = 4.8–8.7). Students with a fasting plasma glucose of 126 mg/dl or above were two times more likely to have hypertension than students with normal plasma glucose. CONCLUSION: Body weight is the major risk factor for hypertension among children with glucosuria and/or proteinuria positive in Taiwan.