This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Bogalusa Heart Study: Obese children did not develop hypertension later in life
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Researchers found no clear evidence that obese children who participated in the Bogalusa Heart Study had increased systolic or diastolic BP levels later in life, according to data from the 19-year study.
The Bogalusa Heart Study included data from more than 24,000 examinations of 11,478 children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years. The study duration was from 1974 to 1993.
“The prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents increased by almost threefold from the 1970s to 2000,” the researchers wrote. “We examined whether these secular changes in BMI were accompanied by increases in BP levels.”
David S. Freedman, PhD, from the CDC’s division of nutrition, physical activity and obesity, and colleagues used data from the study to research secular increases in systolic and diastolic BP over time.
During the study period, the prevalence of obesity increased from 6% to 17%. However, the researchers found only small changes in levels of systolic BP and diastolic BP. Neither mean nor high levels, based on the 90th percentile from the Fourth Report on the Diagnosis, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents, increased during the 20-year period. Examining participants by race and sex, the researchers observed no change in mean levels of systolic BP.
“The BP changes that were observed were small, but the most consistent findings were a small (2-3 mm Hg) decrease in diastolic BP levels and a 30% reduction in the prevalence of high BP levels,” the researchers wrote.
Further, there was a positive association with levels of systolic and diastolic BP within each of the seven examinations. After controlling for BMI levels, only about 60% as many children as expected had high levels of BP in 1993, according to the results.
Disclosure:
- The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Perspective
Back to Top
Mark A. Sperling, MD
The good news [from this study] is that BP did not increase all that much in this particular cohort. However, it is only a little comforting that the BP did not increase as much, because the rate of obesity increased almost threefold. That is very distressing and disturbing because of the other complications that go along with obesity — namely, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerotic disease, disturbances in lipids, and polycystic ovary syndrome in girls.
This is an important study because it has been tracking this population for nearly 40 years now and is, therefore, a marvelous resource for determining what the ultimate outcome will be. Only time will tell if this threefold increase in obesity during the 20 year interval of 1974 to 1993 has serious effects on several other aspects that are known to be complications of obesity even if BP was spared. Those other complications need to be explored to see what happens to this particular, very unique cohort that’s been followed for all this time.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts