Considerations of the renin-angiotensin aldosterone system in the pathogenesis of hypertension in infancy

Studies with school aged children of several communities of the United States have indicated that between one and two percent of them should be considered hypertensive. These findings contradict previous statements of a very rare incidence of hypertension in childhood. Some studies show that children of Black and Hispanic American ancestry, especially females, have a higher incidence of hypertension. The highest incidence of hypertensive children was related to a history of familial hypertension and obesity. In children less than three years of age and in infants, hypertension is less frequent. A disease of the urinary apparatus (nephropathy) or of the cardiovascular system (aorta coarctation) can often be identified as the primary cause of the hypertension. Less frequent is hypertension sustained by adrenal cortical dysfunction or a neoplasm of the adrenal medulla. Hypertensive crisis also frequently develops in children after thermal injury or renal transplant. In children, the use of antihypertensive drugs should be reserved for cases where the disease is very severe. Effective regulation of dietary and hygienic habits should be recommended, particularly for those cases of "mild" or "borderline" essential hypertension.