Pharmacologic management of childhood hypertension: current status, future challenges

The treatment of childhood hypertension has been hampered by several factors, including a lack of extensive scientific data regarding drug efficacy and pharmacokinetics in children, a lack of manufacturer’s recommendations for the use of antihypertensive agents in children, and a lack of age-appropriate drug formulations. These problems have forced clinicians either to rely on limited data from older studies of agents empirically no longer considered first-line choices for use in children, or to adapt agents studied in adults for pediatric use. Recent developments, including publication of single-center studies of newer agents and the proliferation of industry-sponsored trials spurred by the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act, have increased the amount of data available. Investigators involved in such studies must ensure that the unique aspects of using antihypertensive drugs in children are adequately addressed.