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Non-pharmacologic Treatment of Pediatric Hypertension

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Pediatric Hypertension

Part of the book series: Clinical Hypertension and Vascular Diseases ((CHVD))

Abstract

The initial approach to management of primary mild to moderate hypertension in children and adolescents is implementation of changes in lifestyle. Lifestyle intervention may also be quite important as an adjunct to pharmacologic treatment in both primary and secondary forms of hypertension. In that setting, appropriate changes in diet, physical activity, and weight management may allow the use of a lower dose of pharmacologic treatment.

It should not be surprising that lifestyle change is an important therapeutic approach because it is well recognized that hypertension results from a variety of causes, including genetics, obesity, and other environmental and dietary factors. Thus, intervening with changes in diet, increased physical activity, and weight management can disrupt those causal pathways.

In this chapter, we will explore the various non-pharmacologic approaches that have been shown to be effective in blood pressure reduction in children and adolescents. We will focus on dietary interventions, physical activity interventions, weight management, which is quite important for children and adolescents who are overweight or obese, and other interventions, such as stress reduction.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Cincinnati, 363B French Building East, 3202 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45267-0394, USA

    Sarah C. Couch Ph.D., RD

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Pediatrician-in-Chief and L. Joseph Butterfield Chair of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Colorado, 13123 E. 16th Avenue, B065, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA

    Stephen R. Daniels M.D., Ph.D.

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  1. Sarah C. Couch Ph.D., RD
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  2. Stephen R. Daniels M.D., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Sarah C. Couch Ph.D., RD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Washington, Division of Pediatrics, Seattle Children's Hospital, Sand Point Way NE. 4800, Seattle, 98105, Washington, USA

    Joseph T. Flynn

  2. Harvard Medical School, Pediatric Nephrology Unit, MassGeneral Hospital for Children at MGH, Fruit St. 55, Boston, 02114, Massachusetts, USA

    Julie R. Ingelfinger

  3. Global Clinical Research, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Route 206 & Provinceline Road, Princeton, 08543, New Jersey, USA

    Ronald J. Portman

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Couch, S.C., Daniels, S.R. (2013). Non-pharmacologic Treatment of Pediatric Hypertension. In: Flynn, J., Ingelfinger, J., Portman, R. (eds) Pediatric Hypertension. Clinical Hypertension and Vascular Diseases. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-490-6_35

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-490-6_35

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