Abstract
Arterial hypertension is one of the major risk factors of cardiovascular diseases which are, in turn, the most frequent mortality cause in adult population. Prevalence of child hypertension is significantly lower (ca 1%) as compared with adult hypertension.
Also, its underlying causes widely differ from adult hypertension. In children, secondary hypertension is observed much more often, whereas adolescent patients suffer more frequently from primary hypertension.
Generally, it can be said that the probability of incidence of secondary hypertension increases with lower age and higher blood pressure. Most often, child secondary hypertension is caused by renal disorders (renoparenchymal or renovascular hypertension).
Other causes of secondary hypertension are cardiac disorders (coarctation of aorta in particular), endocrinopathy or central nervous system damage. Every hypertensive child must undergo close examination whose scope is determined by child's age and hypertension seriousness.
The main diagnostic goal is to reveal possible secondary hypertension and start its causal therapy. Besides causal therapy of secondary hypertension, hypertension treatment should include both non-pharmacological and pharmacological therapies.