Several factors, including hypertension, have been linked to an elevated risk of cardiovascular illness in people with sickle cell disease (SCD). Evidence suggests that children and adolescents with SCD had lower blood pressure (BP) than the typical pediatric population. Researchers compared the reference BP values of children with SCD to those of the general pediatric population in order to validate this previous observation. They postulated that children with SCD do not have normal blood pressure levels. Male and female juvenile participants with and without SCD showed age-related differences in systolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure was higher in children with SCD, regardless of whether they were overweight or not. There were no significant differences in diastolic blood pressure (BP) across the groups. The research confirmed that children with SCD have greater systolic blood pressure than the average youngster. This finding is in line with recent research revealing aberrant BP trends in the pediatric SCD population when using 24-hour BP monitoring devices. This is a crucial first step in establishing hypertension as a risk factor for cardiovascular and nervous system complications in SCD.
Source: bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-022-03584-9
