And modified by Ellin Lieberman, M.D.

The most commonly used definitions of normal and abnormal blood pressure (BP_) in childhood were published in the Second Task Force Report (2). Data from 9 studies involving 70,000 children in the United States and United Kingdom were summarized, and age-specific BP percentile curves were generated. Normal BP was defined as systolic and diastolic BP readings below the 90th percentile for age, and hypertension was defined as systolic and diastolic BP readings> 95th percentile for age. To avoid over-diagnosis of hypertension, and because the incidence of hypertension in childhood is < 5 % (4,5), at least 3 abnormal readings, obtained on separate occasions, should be obtained before considering a diagnosis of "hypertension " in an individual patient. The Second Task Force data have been refined and height is thought to be the most important variable in determining whether a particular child has an elevated BP.. The actual definitions of normal BP and hypertension from the Second Task Force report were retained, but new tables of normal BP levels based on height percentiles were made(Tables 1 and 2). Defining normal BP in infants, particularly newborns, is more difficult; it was reviewed in elsewher