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The effects of hypertension on the paediatric brain: A justifiable concern

The effects of hypertension on the paediatric brain: A justifiable concern
The effects of hypertension on the paediatric brain: A justifiable concern

The prevalence of hypertension in children is increasing but its neurological effects are under-recognised. Here, we describe acute and chronic effects of childhood hypertension on the nervous system. Acute neurological involvement ranges from posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome to, possibly, infarction and haemorrhage. Children with chronic hypertension are likely to have learning disabilities and deficiencies in executive function, which are potentially reversible with antihypertensive treatment. These cognitive defects may be secondary to abnormal regulation of cerebral blood flow. Raised blood pressure in childhood could also contribute to the early development of atherosclerosis, which can have both short-term and long-term adverse effects on vasculature. Clinical studies are needed to better define the full clinical range of paediatric hypertension on a child's nervous system. Furthermore, accurate biomarkers to define cognitive abnormalities and cerebral involvement need to be identified.

1474-4422
933-940
Sharma, Madhu
3769a6a5-40ef-42b4-9044-bc0fbf21a0ee
Kupferman, Juan C.
b9542b77-7076-47eb-b893-2565609e1fd0
Brosgol, Yuri
af2f9f4b-c47d-4144-97cb-9bbb113fc725
Paterno, Kara
c50cf703-9ad8-4c3d-909a-e99fc55c9b48
Goodman, Sharon
93b93cb7-6c40-4c8c-ac55-6ef3471e414c
Prohovnik, Isak
b67481c9-6a6d-4876-bbd7-a10e2f40d251
Kirkham, Fenella J.
1dfbc0d5-aebe-4439-9fb2-dac6503bcd58
Pavlakis, Steven G.
699873a7-5dc0-43b7-8d8a-b83e0253cbf8
Sharma, Madhu
3769a6a5-40ef-42b4-9044-bc0fbf21a0ee
Kupferman, Juan C.
b9542b77-7076-47eb-b893-2565609e1fd0
Brosgol, Yuri
af2f9f4b-c47d-4144-97cb-9bbb113fc725
Paterno, Kara
c50cf703-9ad8-4c3d-909a-e99fc55c9b48
Goodman, Sharon
93b93cb7-6c40-4c8c-ac55-6ef3471e414c
Prohovnik, Isak
b67481c9-6a6d-4876-bbd7-a10e2f40d251
Kirkham, Fenella J.
1dfbc0d5-aebe-4439-9fb2-dac6503bcd58
Pavlakis, Steven G.
699873a7-5dc0-43b7-8d8a-b83e0253cbf8

Sharma, Madhu, Kupferman, Juan C., Brosgol, Yuri, Paterno, Kara, Goodman, Sharon, Prohovnik, Isak, Kirkham, Fenella J. and Pavlakis, Steven G. (2010) The effects of hypertension on the paediatric brain: A justifiable concern. The Lancet Neurology, 9 (9), 933-940. (doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(10)70167-8).

Record type: Letter

Abstract

The prevalence of hypertension in children is increasing but its neurological effects are under-recognised. Here, we describe acute and chronic effects of childhood hypertension on the nervous system. Acute neurological involvement ranges from posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome to, possibly, infarction and haemorrhage. Children with chronic hypertension are likely to have learning disabilities and deficiencies in executive function, which are potentially reversible with antihypertensive treatment. These cognitive defects may be secondary to abnormal regulation of cerebral blood flow. Raised blood pressure in childhood could also contribute to the early development of atherosclerosis, which can have both short-term and long-term adverse effects on vasculature. Clinical studies are needed to better define the full clinical range of paediatric hypertension on a child's nervous system. Furthermore, accurate biomarkers to define cognitive abnormalities and cerebral involvement need to be identified.

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Published date: September 2010

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 429377
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/429377
ISSN: 1474-4422
PURE UUID: 87bc0b4a-8da7-4f4d-86a7-ef705c903128
ORCID for Fenella J. Kirkham: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2443-7958

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Date deposited: 26 Mar 2019 17:30
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 02:54

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Contributors

Author: Madhu Sharma
Author: Juan C. Kupferman
Author: Yuri Brosgol
Author: Kara Paterno
Author: Sharon Goodman
Author: Isak Prohovnik
Author: Steven G. Pavlakis

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