PREDICTING RESTING BLOOD-PRESSURE AT 18 YEARS - THE DUNEDIN STUDY

Purpose: To examine the value of repeated blood pressure screening dur ing childhood, and exercise testing in adolescence, for predicting res ting blood pressure at eighteen years. Method: Regular measures of blo od pressure and other variables in a birth cohort from 7 to 18 years. Cardiovascular responses to exercise testing at 15 and 18 years. Resul ts: The best predictors of resting blood pressure at 18 years were bod y size at 18 years and resting blood pressure at 15 years. Neither exe rcise and recovery blood pressures at 15 years, nor the way blood pres sure had tracked through childhood, added importantly to the predictio n. Conclusions: We question the value of screening for hypertension du ring childhood, either by regular resting measures or by exercise test ing in adolescence.