Detection of arterial hypertension in the youngster by use of adiposity markers

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

^IUniversidade de Caxias do Sul; Instituto de Cardiologia do RS - Fundação Universitária de Cardiologia, IC-FUC Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil

^IIInstituto de Pesquisa Clínica para Estudos Multicêntricos (IPCEM) do CECS-UCS, Caxias do Sul, RS; Liga Acadêmica de Estudos e Ações em Cardiologia da Universidade de Caxias do Sul

Mailing Address

Keywords: Hyper tens ion; adypos i ty; obes i ty, abdominal; adolescent.

Our study group on systemic arterial hypertension congratulates the authors of the article published in the ArqBrasCardiol 2011; 96(6) referring to the detection of arterial hypertension in adolescents by the use of overall and abdominal adiposity markers¹.

In our experience, we have observed that young and healthy individuals might have an increase in their blood pressure levels due to weight gain, use of contraceptives, excessive use of alcohol and tobacco, stress, and sleep disorders, which, in general, are associated with increased heart rate², ³.

We ask the authors whether heart rate was measured at the moment blood pressure was taken, and about the sleep characteristics of that population.

Reply

We thank our colleagues for their interest in our study, as well as the comments regarding the article by Christofaro et al¹ recently published in Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia.

The relationship between heart rate at rest and the markers of cardiovascular risk in pediatric populations has been the interest of several studies, including that of our group. We have recently identified that heart rate relates to blood pressure independently of body fat and other factors², suggesting that obese adolescents have a greater sympathetic activity at rest, which might be associated with blood pressure³. Thus, heart rate at rest seems to be an important indicator of cardiovascular risk among youngsters⁴, as well as some anthropometric indices. In the study by Christofaro et al¹, heart rate at rest has not been obtained concomitantly with blood pressure measurement. Although the device used for blood pressure measurement provides those data, we do not know any study that has validated heart rate measurement by use of that device, and, cautiously we preferred not to collect those data.

The quality of sleep seems to be related to blood pressure⁵. In the present study, that variable was controlled indirectly, because prior to data collection the participants were instructed to ingest neither caffeinated nor alcoholic beverages, to have a good night of sleep, and to avoid the practice of vigorous physical activity.

References

Referências (resposta)

• 1. Christofaro DGD, Ritti-Dias RM, Fernandes RA, Polito MD, de Andrade SM, Cardoso JR, et al. High blood pressure detection in adolescentsbyclustering overall and abdominal adipositymarkers. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2011;96(6):465-70.
• 2. Lauer RM, Clarke WR, Witt J. Childhood risk factors for high adult blood pressure: the Muscatine Study. Pediatrics. 1989;84(4):633-41.
• 3. Rosa ML, Mesquita ET, da Rocha ER, Fonseca V de M. Body mass index and waist circumference as markers of arterial hypertension in adolescents. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2007;88(5):573-8.
• 1. Christofaro DGD, Ritti-Dias RM, Fernandes RA, Polito MD, de Andrade SM, Cardoso JR, et al. High blood pressure detection in adolescents by clustering overall and abdominal adiposity markers. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2011;96(6):465-70.
• 2. Fernandes RA, Freitas Júnior IF, Codogno JS, Christofaro DG, Monteiro HL, Lopes RDM. Resting heart rate is associated with blood pressure in male children and adolescents. J Pediatr. 2011;158(4):634-7.
• 3. Hirooka Y. Oxidative stress in the cardiovascular center has a pivotal role in the sympathetic activation in hypertension. Hypertens Res. 2011;34(4):407-12.
• 4. Palatini P. Elevated heart rate: a "new" cardiovascular risk factor? Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2009;52(1):1-5.
• 5. Gangwisch JE, Heymsfield SB, Boden-Albala B, Buijs RM, Kreier F, Pickering TG, et al. Short sleep duration as a risk factor for hypertension: analyses of the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Hypertension. 2006;47(5):833-9.

Detection of arterial hypertension in the youngster by use of adiposity markers

Eduardo Maffini da Rosa^I,II; Catherine Gotardo^I; Cláudio Pescador^I

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  30 Nov 2011
• Date of issue
  Oct 2011