Home blood pressure monitoring in pediatric hypertension: the US perspective and a plan for action

Abstract

The 2017 US guidelines for pediatric hypertension place considerable emphasis on blood pressure measurements, which are the cornerstone for hypertension diagnosis and management. It is recognized that when the diagnosis of hypertension is based solely on office blood pressure measurements, many children are misclassified (over- or underdiagnosed). Therefore, out-of-office blood pressure evaluations using ambulatory or home blood pressure monitoring are often necessary to obtain an accurate diagnosis. Strong evidence for the diagnostic and clinical value of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in children has justified its central role in decision making in recent pediatric recommendations. However, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is not widely accessible in primary care. There is little evidence for home blood pressure monitoring in children, yet this method is widely available and feasible for the evaluation of elevated blood pressure in children. This article presents a case for using home blood pressure monitoring for the management of children with suspected or treated hypertension in clinical practice in comparison to using office measurements or ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, as well as its optimal application. More research on home blood pressure monitoring in children is urgently needed.