Hypertension Evaluation and Treatment

Elevated blood pressure has become more common in the pediatric and teenage population.

Familial predisposition, excessive weight gain, relatively sedentary lifestyle and dietary factors commonly contribute to elevated blood pressure in this age group. Kidney problems, medications, hormonal factors and other underlying conditions are more commonly seen as the primary cause in the younger pediatric patient.

We have expertise in the evaluation and treatment of elevated blood pressure from all causes, tailoring the evaluation and management to the patient.

“White coat hypertension” refers to incidences of elevated blood pressure caused by a medical setting where physicians typically wear white coats. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, where blood pressures are recorded automatically multiple times during the day and night, is the standard way of documenting this pattern of blood pressure elevation. This diagnostic test has proved useful in the evaluation and management of hypertension in the pediatric population.