BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS IN BUSY PEDIATRIC SETTINGS – THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER ARTERIAL BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS OF OBESE CHILDREN IN EVERY DAY OFFICE SETTINGS
Keywords:
arterijski pritisak, deca, ambuantaAbstract
In the busy pediatric office setting it is of particular importance to accurately recognize obese children without hypertension and/or other metabolic disturbances, to avoid their unnecessary clinical evaluation and exposure to stress. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of arterial hypertension in obese children with or without standard preparation.
A total of 120 obese adolescents, 81 boys and 39 girls, mean age and 16.8 ± 1.2 years, who were recruited in the Primary Health Care Center at their regular check-up, were included in the study. In the first group a 60 obese adolescents blood pressure (BP) was measured immediately upon meeting “classic” way of BP measuring, while in the second group of 60 obese adolescents, BP was measured according to 4th NHBPEP recommendation.
We found a higher proportion of systolic hypertension in a those obese adolescents in whom the BP was measured without preparation compared to obese adolescents in whom BP was measured according to 4th NHBPEP measurement. The chi-square statistic was 4.3568. p =0.037.
In spite of the time shortage in everyday busy pediatric office setting, it would be prudent to set aside a more time for blood pressure measuring in obese children and spare them from further unnecessary exposure to stress.
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