KARACHI, July 1: A recent study conducted among the local children for evaluation and comparison of their blood pressure profiles, has suggested the need to institute preventive programmes to check hypertension among local children, particularly in the lower-middle class communities.

The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, carried out the Metroville Health Study, under US-Pak collaboration, over a four-year period (1996 to 2000).

The study surveyed approximately 400 households in Metroville, a suburb of the city, covering 928 children aged between 2 and 17 years. The study also considered analytical reports regarding 5,057 local children, 6,469 US children, besides relevant data from many European countries.

The study report has been published in the latest issue of the Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Pakistan. Hypertension is not only a risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease (CDH), but also damages many organs and thus becomes a direct source of morbidity and mortality among the patients.

Analysing comparative data, the report says that the blood pressure profiles of the Pakistani children were similar to those of the US children, which suggests that the projected hypertension among the Pakistani adults will be similar to, if not higher than, those in the US, because the evidence that shows that blood pressure tracks, to a significant degree, remain same from childhood to adulthood, in a person. Thus, a large number of local children with high blood pressure are likely to become hypertension patients when they will grow up.

The profile comparison of the Pakistani and the European children also shows higher blood pressure among the local children. The study noted the prevalence of the condition, especially among the urban lower-middle class children in the country. -PPI