Hypertension and Renal Damage in Obese Children

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between obesity and essential hypertension is well known. The aim of our study was to evaluate ambulatory blood pressure of obese and non-obese patients diagnosed with hypertension, and to investigate factors causing hypertension and the effect of obesity and hypertension on kidneys. MATERIAL and METHODS: Eighteen obese-hypertensive children, thirty-eight non-obese hypertensive children and twenty-seven healthy control group subjects were enrolled in the study. Twenty-four hour blood pressure measurements were recorded for all the patients. Plasma renin activity, serum aldosterone, nitric oxide, endothelin levels and microalbumin, N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase, Na, K in the 24-hour urine were investigated in all patients and in the control groups. RESULTS: According to the results of ambulatory blood pressure measurements, the systolic blood pressure loads were higher in the hypertensive and obese group when compared with the hypertensive non-obese group. Nighttime systolic blood pressure was correlated with the body mass index. Plasma renin activity and serum nitric oxide levels were higher in the hypertensive and obese group when compared with the hypertensive non-obese group. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we believe that blood renin and NO levels may have important roles in the pathogenesis of childhood obesity and hypertension and obesity has no effect on tubular renal damage.