Adolescent Hypertension Linked to Later End-Stage Renal Disease

By Kelly Young

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH

Hypertension in late adolescence is associated with a long-term risk for end-stage renal disease, according to a retrospective study in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Using registry data, researchers in Israel examined the records of 2.7 million adolescents aged 16 to 19 without kidney-related risk factors like diabetes. Of these, 0.3% had established hypertension verified by repeated blood pressure measurements.

During a median follow-up of 20 years, patients with established hypertension had a higher rate of end-stage renal disease, compared with normotensive patients (0.5% vs. 0.1%). The between-groups difference was significant independent of body-mass index and hypertension severity.