The effect of primary hypertension on cardiovasculary system and diagnostic methods in childhood: Review [Çocukluk döneminde primer hipertansiyonun kardiyovasküler sistem üzerine etkisi ve tani yöntemleri]

Primary hypertension in children is often lately because of increasing application in relation to obesity is increasing. Hypertension is a known risk factor for cardiovasculary disease in adults, and the presence of childhood hypertension may contribute to the early development of cardiovasculary disease. Recent studies have shown that changes of cardiovasculary system are increased in hypertensive as compared with normotensive children. The pathological basis for cardiovasculary disease is arterial damage in the form of arteriosclerosis. Arteriosclerosis is a broader term that usually describes diffuse thickening and stiffening of mainly large- and medium-sized arteries and is observed in different conditions. Among them, arterial hypertension is the most important factor. Sustained elevation of blood pressure impacts not only the cardiovascular system, but also other structures, such as the kidney and central nervous system, producing so-called hypertension-induced target organ damage. The damage in the developing cardiovascular system, increases the mortality of the disease. The relationship between early markers such as, left ventricule hypertrophy, carotid wall thickness and aortic pulse wave velocity, and blood pressure values in children and adolescents has been the focus of several studies. The prompt recognition of early organ damage can help in making decisions about the convenience of starting pharmacological treatment aiming to reduce hypertension-induced consequences later in life. Moreover, monitoring changes in organ damage during antihypertensive treatment can offer valuable information about the success of the treatment itself. In this review the threshold of childhood primary hypertension and cardiovascular changes that significantly affect the prognosis of the disease and their evaluation methods will be discussed. Copyright © 2012 by Türkiye Klinikleri