Prevalence of hypertension among schoolchildren aged 13-18 years in Gemlik, Turkey

Arterial hypertension is the permanent elevation of blood pressure(BP). Previous studies have documented that hypertension maybegin in adolescence, perhaps even in childhood. The purposeof this study was to determine the prevalence of hypertensionamong adolescents in the Gemlik Research and Training Area,Turkey. Between January and March 1994, all secondary and highschool students aged 13–18 years were included in thisstudy. An elevated BP was defined according to the Report ofthe Second Task Force on Blood Pressure Control in Children.Of the 3,641 students screened, 262 (7.2%) had elevated systolicand/or diastolic BP, 161 (4.4%) students had significant hypertensionand 101 (2.8%) students had severe hypertension. We found thatsystolic and diastolic BP increased with age, height and weight.BP measurements should be included in physical examinationsas part of the continuing care of the child.