What is the optimal first-line agent in children requiring antihypertensive medication?

There has been an evolution in the understanding of the treatment of hypertension in children and adolescents over the past decade. This has been fueled in part by the increased attention paid to the clinical problem, given the increasing numbers of children and adolescents being diagnosed with this condition. There has also been a growing number of clinical trials performed and completed that demonstrate the blood pressure (BP)-lowering effects of antihypertensives and the side effect profiles of these medications, and that has led to FDA-labeling of many antihypertensive medications for use in children and adolescents. However, none of these trials has provided definitive data on the optimal first line agent for this patient population. Clinical experience and other approaches discussed in this review are still necessary to guide treatment of hypertension in the young. The quest for the optimal antihypertensive agent is just beginning, and it is going to take some extraordinary effort to reach that goal.