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. 2012:2012:253497.
doi: 10.1155/2012/253497. Epub 2012 Apr 8.

Blood Pressure over Height Ratios: Simple and Accurate Method of Detecting Elevated Blood Pressure in Children

Ovidiu Galescu  1 , Minu George, Sudhakar Basetty, Iuliana Predescu, Anil Mongia, Svetlana Ten, Amrit Bhangoo
Affiliations

Blood Pressure over Height Ratios: Simple and Accurate Method of Detecting Elevated Blood Pressure in Children

Ovidiu Galescu et al. Int J Pediatr. 2012.

Abstract

Background. Blood pressure (BP) percentiles in childhood are assessed according to age, gender, and height. Objective. To create a simple BP/height ratio for both systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP). To study the relationship between BP/height ratios and corresponding BP percentiles in children. Methods. We analyzed data on height and BP from 2006-2007 NHANES data. BP percentiles were calculated for 3775 children. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to calculate sensitivity and specificity of BP/height ratios as diagnostic tests for elevated BP (>90%). Correlation analysis was performed between BP percentiles and BP/height ratios. Results. The average age was 12.54 ± 2.67 years. SBP/height and DBP/height ratios strongly correlated with SBP & DBP percentiles in both boys (P < 0.001, R(2) = 0.85, R(2) = 0.86) and girls (P < 0.001, R(2) = 0.85, R(2) = 0.90). The cutoffs of SBP/height and DBP/height ratios in boys were ≥0.75 and ≥0.46, respectively; in girls the ratios were ≥0.75 and ≥0.48, respectively with sensitivity and specificity in range of 83-100%. Conclusion. BP/height ratios are simple with high sensitivity and specificity to detect elevated BP in children. These ratios can be easily used in routine medical care of children.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The graph depicts the strong correlation of systolic blood pressure percentiles (SBP Percentiles), on the Y Axis and the systolic blood pressure over height ratio (SBP/height ratio) on the X Axis in boys P < 0.001, R 2 = 0.85, SBP: systolic blood pressure.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The graph depicts the strong correlation of systolic blood pressure percentiles (SBP Percentiles), on the Y Axis and the systolic blood pressure over Height ratio (SBP/height ratio) on the X Axis in girls P < 0.001, R 2 = 0.80. SBP: Systolic Blood Pressure.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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