title: Comparison of different screening methods for blood pressure disorders in children and adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare different methods of screening for blood pressure disorders in children and adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  A database with 17,083 medical records of patients from a pediatric cardiology clinic was used. After analyzing the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 5,650 were selected. These were divided into two age groups: between 5 and 13 years and between 13 and 18 years. The blood pressure measurement was classified as normal, pre-hypertensive, or hypertensive, consistent with recent guidelines and the selected screening methods. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were then calculated according to gender and age range.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The formulas proposed by Somu and Ardissino's table showed low sensitivity in identifying pre-hypertension in all age groups, whereas the table proposed by Kaelber showed the best results. The ratio between blood pressure and height showed low specificity in the younger age group, but showed good performance in adolescents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Screening tools used for the assessment of blood pressure disorders in children and adolescents may be useful to decrease the current rate of underdiagnosis of this condition. The table proposed by Kaelber showed the best results; however, the ratio between BP and height demonstrated specific advantages, as it does not require tables.
authors.affiliation: Círculo do Coração de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil. Electronic address: felipe.a.mourato@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Felipe Alves
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Mourato
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunopathology Keizo Asami (LIKA), Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Luiz
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lima Filho
authors.affiliation: Círculo do Coração de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sandra da Silva
authors.initials: Sda S
authors.lastname: Mattos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D001827:Body Height; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D058246:Prehypertension / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Hipertensão; Hypertension; Pediatria; Pediatrics; Programas de rastreamento; Screening programs