[Does essential hypertension exist in childhood?].

Essential hypertension in children is difficult to define and is probably very rare. Of 44 children and adolescents diagnosed between 1966 and 1980 to have essential hypertension, we found that only 8 patients continued to be hypertensive, 3 patients turned out to have secondary hypertension and only 5 patients continued to have elevated blood pressures. The incidence of obesity was high in our patients initially diagnosed to have hypertension, but had normalized their weight at the time of reevaluation. The patients with sustained hypertension had initial diastolic blood pressures over 90 mm of mercury at an age of under 12 years and over 100 mm of mercury when older than 12 years of age.