Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: what a pediatrician should know.
OBJECTIVE
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a useful tool for the evaluation and management of hypertension in children and adolescents. This review provides a basic overview of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and summarizes the most recent available knowledge regarding its use in the pediatric population.


RESULTS
Evaluation and validation of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring equipment in children remains limited, although advances in the interpretation of results for this age group have been reported specifically in the area of circadian (24 h) and ultradian (<24 h) variability. Blood pressure is a dynamic phenomenon that varies not only with time but also with changing patient and environmental circumstances. Growing evidence regarding conditions identified when this variability is considered, specifically white coat and masked hypertension, suggests that office blood pressure measurement may not be a sufficient screening test for hypertension-related target-organ damage.


CONCLUSIONS
Information regarding ambulatory blood pressure monitoring use in children is increasing, although due to its limitations and expense, it remains a tool primarily utilized by the pediatric sub-specialist.
McNiece
Karen L
KL
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Hypertension, University of Texas - Houston, School of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77057, USA. karen.l.mcniece@uth.tmc.edu
Portman
Ronald J
RJ
D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000295:instrumentation; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010372:Pediatrics