title: Gender-related differences in the relationships between blood pressure, age, and body size in prepubertal children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The blood pressure (BP) increase with age is well documented in adults and children. However, in the pediatric age group, body size is the most important determinant of age-related BP increases. The aim of the present analysis was to investigate the relationships between age, gender, and body size and BP in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  To this purpose, data were analyzed from 4,514 prepubertal children, aged 6-11 years (71% of the eligible sample; boys = 2,283, girls = 2,231) from the ARCA Project, a screening of childhood obesity carried out in southern Italy. Girls who reported the occurrence of menarche were excluded from the analysis. The sample constituted roughly 20% of all the children attending the primary schools in the area. Weight, height, waist circumference, and BP were measured according to standardized procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As expected, both systolic and diastolic BP significantly increased (P < 0.001) with age in boys and girls. However, after adjustment for waist circumference (as index of adiposity) and height (as index of body size), BP significantly increased with age only in girls (systolic BP: F = 4.380, P = 0.002; diastolic BP: F = 3.093, P = 0.01) but not in boys (systolic BP: F = 0.711, P = 0.55; diastolic BP: F = 2.180, P = 0.07). The association, however, was no longer apparent after the exclusion of children aged >10 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In prepubertal girls in the age range 6-11 years, but not in boys, age is significantly associated with BP independently of body size and adiposity.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Population Genetics, Institute of Food Sciences, CNR, Avellino, Italy. gbarba@isa.cnr.it
authors.forename: Gianvincenzo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barba
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Casullo
authors.forename: Marika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dello Russo
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: Annunziata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nappo
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lauria
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siani
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D055105:Waist Circumference