Approximately 3.5% of children and adolescents suffer from hypertension. Left untreated—often the case, since its symptoms are silent—hypertension can lead to organ damage and cardiovascular disease. To improve its detection, management, and treatment, the American Academy of Pediatrics recently updated its pediatric blood pressure (BP) guidelines, previously issued in 2004, with evidence-based recommendations supported by an expert panel review of 15,000 articles published since 2004.
