title: Validity of the WHO criteria for adolescent hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  WHO Second Task Force Criteria of adolescent hypertension (95th percentile for age) has been use for a long time and different studies have indicated wide variation of hypertension through out the world.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To find out the validity of the WHO diagnostic criteria for adolescent hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was undertaken in an urban slum of Chetla, Kolkata, among 1081 adolescent population (10-19 yrs of age). Initially 95th percentile values for age of systolic and diastolic blood pressure were calculated in different age groups and comparison was made between hypertensive subjects identified by the study values and the WHO reference values, using sensitivity and specificity parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all the different age groups, the diagnostic criteria of hypertension in the study had sensitivity 100%, but specificity varied in the different age groups i.e. 95.34% (10-12 years), 93.89% (13-15 years), 97.41% (16-18 years), 95.34% (10-18 years) and 100% (19 year).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age specific reference values for blood pressure of adolescents should be formulated locally in different regions to aid in the identification of children with high blood pressure.
authors: Deptt. of Community Medicine, R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. drsahaindranil@gmail.com
authors: Indranil
authors: I
authors: Saha
authors: Bobby
authors: B
authors: Paul
authors: Abhijit
authors: A
authors: Mukherjee
authors: Ranadeb
authors: R
authors: Biswas
authors: Aparajita
authors: A
authors: Dasgupta
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D015995:Prevalence; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014944:World Health Organization; D055815:Young Adult