CHANGES IN BLOOD-PRESSURE REACTIVITY AND 24-HOUR BLOOD-PRESSURE PROFILE OCCURRING AT PUBERTY

To evaluate blood pressure reactivity in children and its changes in a dolescents, the acute pressor response to a video-game stress test and the noninvasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring were evaluated i n 62 healthy children divided into three age groups. Basal blood press ure values were measured according to the NIH Task Force. With baselin e measures and body mass index controlled for, analysis of covariance showed that the video game provoked significant and incremental cardio vascular reactivity across the games in adolescents when compared with the two other groups of children. The same group of children showed a lso a significantly higher systolic ambulatory pressure during the day time, whereas no significant difference was observed by basal BP measu rement. In conclusion an increased reactivity to external stimuli was observed in adolescents, and this pattern was strictly associated with a higher daily blood pressure.