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Development of clinical guidelines and recommendations to address the care of pediatric patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have rarely included the perspectives of providers from a variety of healthcare disciplines or the patients and parents themselves. Accordingly, the National Kidney Foundation hosted an in-person, one and one-half day workshop that convened a multidisciplinary group of physicians, allied healthcare professionals, and pediatric CKD patients and their parents, with the goal of developing key clinical recommendations regarding best practices for the clinical management of pediatric patients living with CKD. The key clinical recommendations pertained to five broad topics: Addressing the Needs of Patients and Parents/Caregivers; Modifying the Progression of CKD; Clinical Management of CKD-Mineral Bone Disorder and Growth Retardation; Clinical Management of Anemia, Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension; and Transition and Transfer of Pediatric Patients to Adult Nephrology Care. This report describes the recommendations generated by the participants who attended the workshop.

BACKGROUND: Nocturnal hypertension is a risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression among adults. In children, effects of nocturnal hypertension on CKD progression is less studied. METHODS: We investigated the relationships between nocturnal, daytime, or sustained hypertension and progression to kidney replacement therapy in children using Cox proportional hazards models. Nocturnal and diurnal hypertension respectively defined as: mean blood pressure >95th percentile and/or load >25% for either systolic or diastolic blood pressure within sleep or wake periods. RESULTS: One thousand five hundred seventy-seven ambulatory blood pressure monitoring studies from 701 CKiD participants were reviewed. Nighttime, daytime, and both types of hypertension were 19%, 7%, and 33%, respectively. Participants with both daytime and nocturnal hypertension had the highest risk of kidney replacement therapy. Among children with CKD, compared with those who were normotensive, those with isolated nocturnal hypertension had a hazard ratio of 1.49 ([CI, 0.97–2.28]; P =0.068) while those with both daytime and nocturnal hypertension had a HR of 2.23 ([CI, 1.60–3.11]; P CONCLUSIONS: The presence of both daytime and nocturnal hypertension is significantly associated with risk of kidney replacement therapy. Our study confirms the utility of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in children with CKD. Identifying and controlling both daytime and nocturnal hypertension using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring may improve outcomes and delay CKD progression in this population.

Children with glomerular disease have unique risk factors for compromised bone health. Studies addressing skeletal complications in this population are lacking.This retrospective cohort study utilized data from PEDSnet, a national network of pediatric health systems with standardized electronic health record data for more than 6.5 million patients from 2009 to 2021. Incidence rates (per 10,000 person-years) of fracture, slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE), and avascular necrosis/osteonecrosis (AVN) in 4598 children and young adults with glomerular disease were compared with those among 553,624 general pediatric patients using Poisson regression analysis. The glomerular disease cohort was identified using a published computable phenotype. Inclusion criteria for the general pediatric cohort were two or more primary care visits 1 year or more apart between 1 and 21 years of age, one visit or more every 18 months if followed3 years, and no chronic progressive conditions defined by the Pediatric Medical Complexity Algorithm. Fracture, SCFE, and AVN were identified using SNOMED-CT diagnosis codes; fracture required an associated x-ray or splinting/casting procedure within 48 hours.We found a higher risk of fracture for the glomerular disease cohort compared with the general pediatric cohort in girls only (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.6; 95% CI, 1.3 to 1.9). Hip/femur and vertebral fracture risk were increased in the glomerular disease cohort: adjusted IRR was 2.2 (95% CI, 1.3 to 3.7) and 5 (95% CI, 3.2 to 7.6), respectively. For SCFE, the adjusted IRR was 3.4 (95% CI, 1.9 to 5.9). For AVN, the adjusted IRR was 56.2 (95% CI, 40.7 to 77.5).Children and young adults with glomerular disease have significantly higher burden of skeletal complications than the general pediatric population.

Background: Hypertension-related increased arterial stiffness predicts development of target organ damage (TOD) and cardiovascular disease. We hypothesized that blood pressure (BP)–related increased arterial stiffness is present in youth with elevated BP and is associated with TOD. Methods: Participants were stratified by systolic BP into low- (systolic BP Results: Pulse wave velocity increased across groups. Aortic distensibility, distensibility coefficient, and compliance were greater in low than in the mid or high group. Significant determinants of arterial stiffness were sex, age, adiposity, BP, and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol. Pulse wave velocity and aortic compliance were significantly associated with TOD (systolic and diastolic cardiac function and urine albumin/creatinine ratio) after controlling for BP. Conclusions: Higher arterial stiffness is associated with elevated BP and TOD in youth emphasizing the need for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Background: Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is routinely performed in children with chronic kidney disease to identify masked hypertension, a risk factor for accelerated chronic kidney disease progression. However, ABPM is burdensome, and developing an accurate prediction of masked hypertension may allow using ABPM selectively rather than routinely. Methods: To create a prediction model for masked hypertension using clinic blood pressure (BP) and other clinical characteristics, we analyzed 809 ABPM studies with nonhypertensive clinic BP among the participants of the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children study. Results: Masked hypertension was identified in 170 (21.0%) observations. We created prediction models for masked hypertension via gradient boosting, random forests, and logistic regression using 109 candidate predictors and evaluated its performance using bootstrap validation. The models showed C statistics from 0.660 (95% CI, 0.595–0.707) to 0.732 (95% CI, 0.695–0.786) and Brier scores from 0.148 (95% CI, 0.141–0.154) to 0.167 (95% CI, 0.152–0.183). Using the possible thresholds identified from this model, we stratified the dataset by clinic systolic/diastolic BP percentiles. The prevalence of masked hypertension was the lowest (4.8%) when clinic systolic/diastolic BP were both Conclusions: ABPM could be used selectively in those with low clinic BP, for example, systolic BP

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) had profound effects on healthcare delivery in the USA and abroad. Although ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is the recommended method for confirming hypertension (HTN) diagnosis and management, it is unclear how the pandemic affected ABPM utilization. We surveyed 81 pediatric nephrologists from 54 pediatric nephrology centers regarding their ABPM practices during the pandemic; 56.8% of providers continued to provide ABPM to their patients, but only 21% used disposable cuffs, and only 28.4% had specific equipment cleaning protocols in place. Only a minority of 81 practitioners felt comfortable (26.2%) or very comfortable (11.2%) in following published guidelines on ABPM during the pandemic, and 22.5% felt uncomfortable or very uncomfortable (7.5%). Additionally, only about half (49.4%) of practitioners were comfortable with managing HTN via telehealth. Our findings underscore the need to supplement existing and future guidance on how to manage HTN protocols, HTN patients, and equipment during healthcare crises.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Performing adequately powered clinical trials in pediatric diseases, such as SLE, is challenging. Improved recruitment strategies are needed for identifying patients. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Electronic health record algorithms were developed and tested to identify children with SLE both with and without lupus nephritis. We used single-center electronic health record data to develop computable phenotypes composed of diagnosis, medication, procedure, and utilization codes. These were evaluated iteratively against a manually assembled database of patients with SLE. The highest-performing phenotypes were then evaluated across institutions in PEDSnet, a national health care systems network of >6.7 million children. Reviewers blinded to case status used standardized forms to review random samples of cases (n=350) and noncases (n=350). RESULTS: Final algorithms consisted of both utilization and diagnostic criteria. For both, utilization criteria included two or more in-person visits with nephrology or rheumatology and ≥60 days follow-up. SLE diagnostic criteria included absence of neonatal lupus, one or more hydroxychloroquine exposures, and either three or more qualifying diagnosis codes separated by ≥30 days or one or more diagnosis codes and one or more kidney biopsy procedure codes. Sensitivity was 100% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 99 to 100), specificity was 92% (95% CI, 88 to 94), positive predictive value was 91% (95% CI, 87 to 94), and negative predictive value was 100% (95% CI, 99 to 100). Lupus nephritis diagnostic criteria included either three or more qualifying lupus nephritis diagnosis codes (or SLE codes on the same day as glomerular/kidney codes) separated by ≥30 days or one or more SLE diagnosis codes and one or more kidney biopsy procedure codes. Sensitivity was 90% (95% CI, 85 to 94), specificity was 93% (95% CI, 89 to 97), positive predictive value was 94% (95% CI, 89 to 97), and negative predictive value was 90% (95% CI, 84 to 94). Algorithms identified 1508 children with SLE at PEDSnet institutions (537 with lupus nephritis), 809 of whom were seen in the past 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Electronic health record–based algorithms for SLE and lupus nephritis demonstrated excellent classification accuracy across PEDSnet institutions.

Rationale & objective To identify differences in socioeconomic factors (SES) and subclinical CVD markers by race among CKiD participants and determine whether differences in CVD markers persist after adjusting for SES. Study design Analysis of 3103 visits with repeated measures from 628 children (497 Caucasian; 131 African American) enrolled in the CKiD study. Setting & participants Children with mild-moderate CKD with at least 1 CV parameter (ambulatory blood pressure, left ventricular mass index [LVMI], or lipid profile) measured. Exposures African American race OUTCOMES: Ambulatory hypertension, LVMI, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Analytical approach Due to increased CV risks of glomerular disease, the analysis was stratified by CKD etiology. Inverse probability weighting was used to adjust for SES (health insurance, household income, maternal education, food insecurity, abnormal birth history). Linear and logistic regression were used to evaluate association of race with CV markers. Results African American children were disproportionately affected by adverse SES. African Americans with non-glomerular CKD had more ambulatory hypertension and higher LVMI, but more favorable lipid profile; after adjustment for SES, age, and sex, the magnitude of differences in these CV markers attenuated but remained statistically significant. Only LVMI differed by race in the glomerular CKD group, despite adjustment for SES. Limitations Study design limits causal inference. Conclusion African American children with CKD are disproportionately affected by socioeconomic disadvantages compared with Caucasians. The degree to which CV markers differ by race is influenced by disease etiology. African Americans with non-glomerular CKD have increased LVMI, more ambulatory hypertension and favorable lipid profile, but a trend towards attenuation in magnitude after adjustment for SES was observed. African Americans with glomerular CKD have increased LVMI, which persisted after SES adjustment. As many social determinants of health were not captured, future research should examine effects of systemic racism on CV health in this population.

BACKGROUND: BP is an important modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular events and CKD progression in middle-aged or older adults with CKD. However, studies describing the relationship between BP with outcomes in young adults with CKD are limited. METHODS: In an observational study, we focused on 317 young adults (aged 21–40 years) with mild to moderate CKD enrolled in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study. Exposures included baseline systolic BP evaluated continuously (per 10 mm Hg increase) and in categories (

Accurate detection of hypertension is crucial for clinical management of pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD). The 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics childhood hypertension guidelines included new normative blood pressure (BP) values and revised definitions of BP categories. In this study, we examined the effect of applying these changes to the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) cohort compared to use of the 2004 Fourth Report normative data and definitions.Observational cohort study.Children and adolescents in the CKiD cohort.Clinic blood pressure measurements.Blood pressure percentiles and hypertension stages calculated using the 2017 and 2004 guidelines.Agreement analysis compared the estimated percentile and prevalence of high blood pressure based on the 2017 and 2004 guidelines to clinic and combined ambulatory blood pressure readings.The proportion of children classified as having normal clinic blood pressure was similar using the 2017 and 2004 guidelines, but the use of the 2017 normative data classified more participants as having hypertensive-range blood pressure (22% vs. 11%) with marginal reproducibility (kappa= 0.569, 95%CI: 0.538, 0.599). Those identified as hypertensive by the 2017 guidelines had higher levels of proteinuria compared to those identified using the 2004 guidelines. There were substantially more participants with white coat and ambulatory hypertension when using the 2017 guidelines (3.5% vs. 1.5%; and 15.5% vs. 7.9%, respectively). The proportion with masked hypertension was lower using the 2017 guidelines (40.2% vs. 47.8%, respectively) with good reproducibility (kappa= 0.799, 95%CI: 0.778, 0.819), and the percentage of participants with normal ambulatory blood pressure was similar (40.9% vs. 42.9%, respectively), LIMITATIONS: Relationship with long-term progression and target organ damage was not assessed.A greater percentage of children with CKD were identified as hypertensive based on both clinic and ambulatory blood pressure when using the 2017 vs. the 2004 guidelines, and the 2017 guidelines better discriminated those with higher levels of proteinuria. The substantial differences in the classification of hypertension when using the 2004 vs. 2017 guidelines should inform clinical care.

Use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in children and adolescents has markedly increased since publication of the last American Heart Association scientific statement on pediatric ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in 2014. In addition, there has also been significant expansion of the evidence base for use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in the pediatric population, including new data linking ambulatory blood pressure levels with the development of blood pressure–related target organ damage. Last, additional data have recently been published that enable simplification of the classification of pediatric ambulatory monitoring studies. This scientific statement presents a succinct review of this new evidence, guidance on optimal application of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in the clinical setting, and an updated classification scheme for the interpretation of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in children and adolescents. We also highlight areas of uncertainty where additional research is needed.

BACKGROUND: Control of hypertension delays progression of pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD), yet few data are available regarding what office blood pressure (BP) levels may slow progression. METHODS: Longitudinal BP data from children in the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children cohort study who had hypertension or an auscultatory BP ≥90th percentile enrolled were studied. BP categories were defined as the maximum systolic or diastolic BP percentile (

The last decade was crucial for our understanding of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) as a two-axis, counter-regulatory system, divided into the classical axis, formed by angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensin II (Ang II), and the angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R), and the alternative axis comprising angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)), and the Mas receptor. Breakthrough discoveries also took place, with other RAAS endopeptides being described, including alamandine and angiotensin A. In this review, we characterize the two RAAS axes and the role of their components in pediatric kidney diseases, including childhood hypertension (HTN), pediatric glomerular diseases, congenital abnormalities of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT), and chronic kidney disease (CKD). We also present recent findings on potential interactions between the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and components of the RAAS, as well as potential implications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for pediatric kidney diseases.

Trials in children with chronic kidney disease do not consistently report outcomes that are critically important to patients and caregivers. This can diminish the relevance and reliability of evidence for decision making, limiting the implementation of results into practice and policy. As part of the Standardized Outcomes in Nephrology—Children and Adolescents (SONG-Kids) initiative, we convened 2 consensus workshops in San Diego, California (7 patients, 24 caregivers, 43 health professionals) and Melbourne, Australia (7 patients, 23 caregivers, 49 health professionals). This report summarizes the discussions on the identification and implementation of the SONG-Kids core outcomes set. Four themes were identified; survival and life participation are common high priority goals, capturing the whole child and family, ensuring broad relevance across the patient journey, and requiring feasible and valid measures. Stakeholders supported the inclusion of mortality, infection, life participation, and kidney function as the core outcomes domains for children with chronic kidney disease.

International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis. Baxter Health Care. Fresenius Medical Care, Germany. Ipsen. Medical Faculty of University of Cologne. Marga and Walter Boll-Foundation. Federal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF): 01GM1515. European Rare Kidney Disease Reference Network (ERKNet).

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine stroke incidence and assess the association between stroke and neurocognitive functioning in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: Data was derived from the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) cohort study. Stroke incidence was calculated after confirming self-reports of stroke occurrence by chart review. Each participant with stroke was matched with three stroke-free participants and performance on selected neurocognitive measures was compared. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare neurocognitive test scores. Effect size (ES) was estimated using a modified version of Cohen’s U(3) metric that measures the excess percentage of the stroke group worse than the median of the control group. RESULTS: Of 891 subjects, five (0.56%) had a confirmed stroke prior to study entry. Median time at risk was 15.7 years [interquartile range, 12.5–18.4]. Estimated incidence rate of history of stroke was 36.8 per 100,000 children per year (95% confidence interval 15.3, 88.5). Controls and subjects with stroke were similar in age, CKD duration, race, and maternal education. ES for many of the neurocognitive comparisons was moderate to large. Subjects in the CKID cohort with a history of stroke had lower scores on spatial span reverse, spatial span forward, and design fluency, and worse parent ratings on BRIEF Metacognition Index compared to a matched sample of children with CKD without stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Children with CKD have an increased incidence of prior ischemic stroke compared to the general pediatric population. A stroke history was associated with poorer performance on neurocognitive measures.

The Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) cohort study is a North American (USA and Canada) multicenter, prospective study of children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The original aims of the study were (1) to identify novel risk factors for CKD progression; (2) to measure the impact of kidney function decline on growth, cognition, and behavior; and (3) to characterize the evolution of cardiovascular disease risk factors. CKiD has developed into a national and international resource for the investigation of a variety of factors related to CKD in children. This review highlights notable findings in the area of CKD progression and outlines ongoing opportunities to enhance understanding of CKD progression in children. CKiD's contributions to the clinical care of children with CKD include updated and more accurate glomerular filtration rate estimating equations for children and young adults, and resources designed to help estimate the CKD progression timeline. In addition, results from CKiD have strengthened the evidence that treatment of hypertension and proteinuria should continue as a primary strategy for slowing the rate of disease progression in children.

Hypertension is associated with elevated left ventricular mass index (LVMI), cardiac dysfunction and increased arterial stiffness in adults which predict cardiovascular (CV) events. The extent to which elevated BP in youth is associated with subclinical CV target organ damage (TOD) is not known. We explored the relation between BP level and number of TOD abnormalities (nTOD). We measured clinic and ambulatory BP (ABP), anthropometrics, and nTOD in 244 adolescents (mean 15.5 + 1.8 years, 67% white, 60% male). Subjects were recruited as low-risk (L=98, SBP%th %), mid-risk (Mid=60, SBP% 80-th %); and high-risk (H=86, SBP% >=90 th %) based on mean of 6 aneroid clinic BPs by age-, sex- and height-specific cut-points. 24-hour ABP was measured with an oscillometric device per pediatric guidelines. Four measures of TOD were: LVMI > 38.6 g/m 2.7 ; LV systolic strain (Strain %) > -18; LV diastolic function (E/e’) > 8; pulse wave velocity (PWV) > 5.8 m/sec. ANOVA was used to evaluate differences in CV risk factors and chi square for differences in nTOD across groups. Logistic regression models were used to determine if clinic and/or ABP was an independent predictor of nTOD after adjustment for age, sex, race, and BMI z-score. BP groups did not differ in BMI z-score. Clinic and ABP systolic and diastolic BP increased across BP groups. The distribution of nTOD was shifted towards higher BP group with most nTOD= 0 (47%) in the L and all (100%) nTOD = 4 in the H group (X 2 = 0.08) and became significant when L (clinic SBPth %) was compared to M+H (clinic SBP > 80 th %; X 2 =0.04). Daytime ABP index (subject daytime systolic ABP/95 th % for daytime systolic ABP) and BMI z-score (both p < 0.003) were significantly associated with nTOD in a model containing clinic SBP, age, sex and race (other covariates NS; full model p < 0.0001, R 2 =0.22). We conclude that higher ABP is associated with a greater number of cardiac and vascular abnormalities in youth. ABP should be applied in youth with elevated BP to evaluate need for intensification of therapy to prevent CV TOD.

Melamine is a nephrotoxic industrial chemical. Diet is one source of melamine exposure, yet little work has examined the main dietary contributors, particularly among children. We evaluated associations of diet with urinary melamine and derivative concentrations among 123 children aged 4–6 years in the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth cohort. Children’s diets on the day preceding urine collection were assessed using 24-h dietary recalls. Associations of meat, fruit, and grain intakes with melamine exposure were examined using multiple linear regression. Remaining food groups were examined in secondary analyses. Mean (SD) melamine, ammelide, and cyanuric acid concentrations were 6.1 (12.4), 1.9 (2.1), and 60.6 (221.2) ng/mL, respectively. The second tertile of red meat consumers had 98% (95% CI: 15%, 241%) greater melamine exposure than non-consumers, yet the highest consumers did not have increased exposure. Greater consumption of certain fruits was associated with lower urinary ammelide. The top yogurt consumers had 112% (95% CI: 29%, 247%) greater melamine exposure than non-consumers. Consumption of starchy vegetables excluding potatoes was associated with 139% (95% CI: 6%, 437%) greater urinary ammelide. These observed associations should be confirmed in future studies using larger samples and increased monitoring of non-dietary routes of exposure.

Neonatal hypertension is uncommon but is becoming increasingly recognized. Normative blood pressure data are limited, as is research regarding the risks, treatment, and long-term outcomes. Therefore, there are no clinical practice guidelines and management is based on clinical judgment and expert opinion. Recognition of neonatal hypertension requires proper blood pressure measurement technique. When hypertension is present there should be a thorough clinical, laboratory, and imaging evaluation to promptly diagnose causes needing medical or surgical management. This review provides a practical overview for the practicing clinician regarding the identification, evaluation, and management of neonatal hypertension.

Background Adolescents with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are a unique population with a high prevalence of hypertension. Management of hypertension during the transition from adolescence to adulthood can be challenging given differences in normative blood pressure values in adolescents compared with adults. Methods In this retrospective analysis of the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children Cohort Study, we compared pediatric versus adult definitions of ambulatory- and clinic-diagnosed hypertension in their ability to discriminate risk for left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and kidney failure using logistic and Cox models, respectively. Results Overall, among 363 adolescents included for study, the prevalence of systolic hypertension was 27%, 44%, 12%, and 9% based on pediatric ambulatory, adult ambulatory, pediatric clinic, and adult clinic definitions, respectively. All definitions of hypertension were statistically significantly associated with LVH except for the adult ambulatory definition. Presence of ambulatory hypertension was associated with 2.6 times higher odds of LVH using pediatric definitions (95% CI 1.4–5.1) compared to 1.4 times higher odds using adult definitions (95% CI 0.8–3.0). The c-statistics for discrimination of LVH was statistically significantly higher for the pediatric definition of ambulatory hypertension (c=0.61) compared to the adult ambulatory definition (c=0.54), and the Akaike Information Criterion was lower for the pediatric definition. All definitions were associated with progression to kidney failure. Conclusion Overall, there was not a substantial difference in pediatric versus adult definitions of hypertension in predicting kidney outcomes, but there was slightly better risk discrimination of the risk of LVH with the pediatric definition of ambulatory hypertension. Graphical abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) and grafts (AVG) are preferred permanent vascular access (PVA) for chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. Our objective was to examine the change in markers of HD efficacy after successful establishment of a PVA among children who started HD with a tunneled cuffed catheter (TCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS Retrospective chart reviews were completed on patients from 20 pediatric dialysis centers. All patients used TCC prior to AVF/AVG, and each patient acted as his/her own control. Data on markers of HD efficacy (single-pool Kt/V, urea reduction ratio (URR), serum albumin and hematocrit (Hct)) were collected at the creation of AVF/AVG and for 2 years thereafter. Statistical methods included hypothesis testing and statistical modeling after adjusting for relevant demographic variables. RESULTS First PVA was created in 98 individual children: 87 (89%) were AVF and 11 (11%) were AVG. The mean TCC vintage prior to AVF/AVG was 10.4 ± 17.3 months. At 1-year follow-up, Kt/V improved by 0.15 ± 0.06 (p = 0.02) and URR improved by 4.54 ± 1.17% (p

In 1997, Soergel et al 1 published the first set of normative values for ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in children. Since then, the clinical utility of ABPM has increased dramatically, and now, ABPM is accepted as the standard method to confirm the diagnosis of hypertension in children. Despite significant progress in the field of pediatric ABPM, many important questions remain unanswered. One of the most controversial issues is how to define ambulatory hypertension in children. The purpose of this review is to discuss the limitations of the current pediatric ABPM classification scheme and to provide the justification and rationale for a new classification.

The Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) convened a work group to review the 2021 KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) guideline for the management of blood pressure in chronic kidney disease (CKD). This commentary is the product of that work group and presents the recommendations and practice points from the KDIGO guideline in the context of US clinical practice. A critical addition to the KDIGO guideline is the recommendation for accurate assessment of blood pressure using standardized office blood pressure measurement. In the general adult population with CKD, KDIGO recommends a goal systolic blood pressure less than 120 mm Hg on the basis of results from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) and secondary analyses of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes-Blood Pressure (ACCORD-BP) trial. The KDOQI work group agreed with most of the recommendations while highlighting the weak evidence base especially for patients with diabetes and advanced CKD.

We investigated whether blood pressure (BP) phenotype based on clinic & 24-hour ambulatory BP (ABP) was associated with intermediate markers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in 374 adolescents enrolled in a study of the relationship of BP to CV risk. Clinic BP was measured by auscultation and categorized using the 2017 AAP guideline. ABP was measured for 24 hours by an oscillometric device and analyzed using the adult ABP wake SBP cut-point (130 mmHg). This created 4 BP phenotype groups: normal BP (n=224), white coat hypertensive (n=48), ambulatory hypertensive (n=57) & masked hypertensive (n=45). Echocardiographic parameters & carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWVcf) were measured to assess CVD risk. Left ventricular mass (LVM) was lowest in the normal BP group, whereas multiple measures of cardiac function and PWVcf were worse in the masked and ambulatory hypertensive groups: Generalized linear models adjusted for body mass index (BMI) were constructed to examine the associations between BP phenotype and the measured CVD variables. ABP phenotype was an independent predictor of LVM, diastolic and systolic function and PWVcf in the unadjusted model. ABP phenotype remained significantly associated with diastolic function (E/e’, e’/a’), systolic function (ejection fraction) and increased arterial stiffness (PWVcf) after adjustment for BMI percentile (all p

Hypertension (HTN) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children as well as adults. HTN and related adverse cardiovascular health develop and progress on a continuum across an individual's life course. Pediatric HTN, or even isolated elevated blood pressure as a child, increases the risk of sustained HTN and cardiovascular disease in later adulthood. Transitioning the care of adolescents and young adults who have HTN is an important but unmet health care need that could potentially have a dramatic effect on mitigating the risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood. However, very little has been published about the transition process in this population, and considerable gaps in the field remain. We discuss the epidemiology, etiology, and management approach in youth with HTN and how they differ from adults. We contextualize HTN and cardiovascular health on a continuum across the life course. We discuss key considerations for the transition process for adolescents and young adults with HTN including the major barriers that exist. Finally, we review key immediate health care needs that are particularly important around the time of the transfer of care.

OBJECTIVES To explore the impact of displaying blood pressure (BP) percentiles with BP readings in the electronic health record (EHR) on the recognition of children with elevated blood pressures (EBPs). METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study of children (ages 1–17), including inpatients and outpatients, with at least 1 EHR noninvasive BP recording. In phase 1, BP percentiles were calculated, stored, and not displayed to clinicians. In phase 2, percentiles were displayed adjacent to the EHR BP. Encounters with 1 BP ≥95th percentile were classified as elevated. EBP recognition required the presence of at least 1 EBP-related International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision or International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision code. We compared recognition frequencies across phases with logistic regression. RESULTS In total, 45 504 patients in 115 060 encounters were included. Inpatient recognition was 4.1% (238 of 5572) in phase 1 and 5.5% (338 of 5839) in phase 2. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) associated with the intervention was 1.22 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.90–1.66). Outpatient recognition rates were 8.0% (1096 of 13 725 EBP encounters) in phase 1 and 9.7% (1442 of 14 811 encounters) in phase 2. The adjusted OR was 1.296 (95% CI: 0.999–1.681). Overall, recognition rates were higher in boys (outpatient OR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.15–1.98) and older children (outpatient/inpatient OR: 1.08/1.08; 95% CI: 1.05–1.11/1.05–1.11) and lower for those on a surgical service (outpatient/inpatient: OR: 0.41/0.38; 95% CI: 0.30–0.58/0.27–0.52). CONCLUSIONS Addition of BP percentiles to the EHR did not significantly change EBP recognition as measured by the addition of an EBP diagnosis code. Girls, younger children, and patients followed on a surgical service were less likely to have their EBP recognized by providers.

Background The rarity of pediatric glomerular disease makes it difficult to identify sufficient numbers of participants for clinical trials. This leaves limited data to guide improvements in care for these patients. Methods The authors developed and tested an electronic health record (EHR) algorithm to identify children with glomerular disease. We used EHR data from 231 patients with glomerular disorders at a single center to develop a computerized algorithm comprising diagnosis, kidney biopsy, and transplant procedure codes. The algorithm was tested using PEDSnet, a national network of eight children's hospitals with data on >6.5 million children. Patients with three or more nephrologist encounters (n=55,560) not meeting the computable phenotype definition of glomerular disease were defined as nonglomerular cases. A reviewer blinded to case status used a standardized form to review random samples of cases (n=800) and nonglomerular cases (n=798). Results The final algorithm consisted of two or more diagnosis codes from a qualifying list or one diagnosis code and a pretransplant biopsy. Performance characteristics among the population with three or more nephrology encounters were sensitivity, 96% (95% CI, 94% to 97%); specificity, 93% (95% CI, 91% to 94%); positive predictive value (PPV), 89% (95% CI, 86% to 91%); negative predictive value, 97% (95% CI, 96% to 98%); and area under the receiver operating characteristics curve, 94% (95% CI, 93% to 95%). Requiring that the sum of nephrotic syndrome diagnosis codes exceed that of glomerulonephritis codes identified children with nephrotic syndrome or biopsy-based minimal change nephropathy, FSGS, or membranous nephropathy, with 94% sensitivity and 92% PPV. The algorithm identified 6657 children with glomerular disease across PEDSnet, ≥50% of whom were seen within 18 months. Conclusions The authors developed an EHR-based algorithm and demonstrated that it had excellent classification accuracy across PEDSnet. This tool may enable faster identification of cohorts of pediatric patients with glomerular disease for observational or prospective studies.