title: Gender-related differences in adolescent hypertension and in target organ effects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether a gender difference exists in adolescent hypertension and its target organ damage and to compare potential confounding factors and target organ damage in hypertensive and normotensive adolescent girls.
  
  
  METHODS
  From the Debrecen Hypertension Study, the anthropometric, blood pressure, and laboratory data as well as intima-media thickness (IMT) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) of 58 hypertensive boys, 56 hypertensive girls, and 30 normotensive girls were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both systolic and mean blood pressure values were higher in adolescent hypertensive boys than in girls. This difference was also present when comparing 24-hour average blood pressure values. Plasma concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin-1 were not different in the two gender groups. IMT of the carotid arteries were similar in hypertensive boys and girls, but a significantly higher LVMI was detected in boys. A significant difference was detected in anthropometric data (height, weight, and body mass index [BMI]), plasma concentration of NO (lower levels in hypertensives), and IMT in hypertensive and normotensive girls (higher IMT in hypertensive girls).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a difference between the severity of hypertension between hypertensive adolescent girls and boys. Hypertensive girls differ from normotensive girls not only in blood pressure values but also in risk factors and subclinical target organ effects. Further studies are needed to explain the gender differences in adolescent hypertension. The potential role of sex hormones in hypertensive teenagers also needs to be clarified in future works.
authors.affiliation: 1st Department of Medicine, University of Debrecen , Health and Medical Science Center, Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: Mária
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Juhász
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Katona
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Settakis
authors.forename: György
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paragh
authors.forename: Csilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Molnár
authors.forename: Béla
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fülesdi
authors.forename: Dénes
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Páll
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D019332:Endothelin-1; D009569:Nitric Oxide