High BP in diabetic children needs monitoring

People with type 1 diabetes who had high blood pressure (BP) in childhood tend to have higher BP levels as adults. German researchers followed 868 patients, seen at 95 diabetes centres and paediatric care clinics in Germany and Austria, from the age of 6 years till they were almost 20. Blood pressure readings were taken before puberty (when they were less than 10 years old), going through puberty (10 to younger than 16), or after puberty (16 to almost 20 years of age). It was found that BP above the 97th percentile of European reference levels were seen in four per cent of the participants during pre-puberty and puberty, and in almost 14 per cent of them during post-puberty. Tracking of BP levels revealed that children with elevated BP had higher BP in adolescence and young adulthood. Elevated BP early in life puts these diabetic individuals at a 10-fold higher risk than normal for developing cardiovascular disease. Thus, doctors should focus on the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in children with type 1 diabetes.