LAUSR

Objective: The aim is to know if the presence of symptoms in children, adolescents, and young-aged are important for early diagnosis and therapy of hypertension. Design and method: For this cross-sectional study was entered 180 children, adolescents, and young-aged, female 96 -male 84 (F-M), divided into 3 groups of age: from 5 years to 12, from 13 to 18, and from 19 to 22 years. Principally, patients consulted for the presence of symptoms. During the anamnesis, several symptoms were registered, such as headache, palpitations, thoracic pain, breathlessness, sweating, asthenia, and mental confusion. Was entered the anthropomorphic measures, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (S-DBP), heart rate, central hemodynamics parameters (CHP), and difference of augmentation index (Diff AIx) between observed values and normal levels, evaluated with applanation tonometry (Sphygmocor-PVX AtCor-Medical Australia) according to standards methods. Results: In F-M, S-DBP increased from 1 group (104.3/66.9–109.1/67.7 mmHg) to 2 group (117.5/71.5–120.4/72.0 mmHg). Into the 3 group (117.9/73.0–126.6/77.8 mmHg) a slight increase was observed (normal values according to JHypertens 2019). Similar changes occur in CHP, but central aortic pressure and pulse pressure were higher than normal, both sexes. The Diff-AIx (surrogate value of arterial stiffness), was measured only in the 3 group and results were higher than normal, both sexes. High prevalence of headache was observed among female 69%-76% and male 53%-47% in the 2-3 groups, respectively, and high percentage of palpitations too, among female 66%-64% and male 47%-41% in the 2-3 groups, respectively. Also, was observed thoracic pain, dyspnoea, sweating, and asthenia whose prevalence increases with age. Few cases of mental confusion were more prevalent in females (7%-7%) in the 2-3 group. Patients in therapy with Angiotensin Receptors Blocker were registered female 31%-38% and male 40%-47% into the 2-3 group, respectively. All the patients treated improved the symptoms since the first month. Conclusions: In the diagnosis of Hypertension in children, adolescents, and young-aged it is very important the evaluation of symptoms and assesses them by applanation tonometry to know the optimal time of therapy to more early age with the objective of preventing future complications.