[Blood pressure from 0 to 18 months. Use of an automatic measurement method].

A prospective study of blood pressure in 251 neonates and infants aged 0 to 18 months was undertaken with an automatic measurement method. Children of black race (n = 33) were taller (p less than 0.05), heavier (p less than 0.025) and older (p less than 0.001) than the rest of the sample, but had lower systolic (SAP) and diastolic arterial pressures (DAP), especially between 9 and 18 months (p less than 0.01). There was no significant difference according to race [North Africans (n = 50), white (n = 143) and the others (n = 25)], or to sex. For the sample (n = 218) of non black children, SAP and DAP increased with age (p less than 0.001), weight (p less than 0.001) and height (p less than 0.001). Percentiles were determined in each age class for SAP and DAP. Mean pressure figures increased from 86.8 mmHg (0-1 month) to 108 mmHg (9-12 months) for SAP and from 52.5 mmHg (0-1 month) to 65.5 mmHg (9-12 months) for DAP.