Static cut-points of hypertension and increased arterial stiffness in children and adolescents: The International Childhood Vascular Function Evaluation Consortium.

Pediatric elevated blood pressure (BP) and hypertension are usually defined using traditional BP tables at the 90th and 95th percentiles, respectively, based on sex, age, and height, which are cumbersome to use in clinical practice. The authors aimed to assess the performance of the static cut-points (120/80 mm Hg and 130/80 mm Hg for defining elevated BP and hypertension for adolescents, respectively; and 110/70 mm Hg and 120/80 mm Hg for children, respectively) in predicting increased arterial stiffness. Using data from five population-based cross-sectional studies conducted in Brazil, China, Korea, and New Zealand, a total of 2546 children and adolescents aged 6-17 years were included. Increased arterial stiffness was defined as pulse wave velocity ≥sex-specific, age-specific, and study population-specific 90th percentile. Compared to youth with normal BP, those with hypertension defined using the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics guideline (hereafter referred to as "percentile-based cut-points") and the static cut-points were at similar risk of increased arterial stiffness, with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of 2.35 (1.74-3.17) and 3.07 (2.20-4.28), respectively. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and net reclassification improvement methods confirmed the similar performance of static cut-points and percentile-based cut-points (P for difference > .05). In conclusion, the static cut-points performed similarly well when compared with the percentile-based cut-points in predicting childhood increased arterial stiffness. Use of static cut-points to define hypertension in childhood might simplify identification of children with abnormal BP in clinical practice.

Carotid-Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity in Healthy Spanish Children: Reference Percentile Curves.

Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) measurement is an appropriate method for determining arterial stiffness and is a useful tool for early detection of cardiovascular disease. However, the lack of reference values due to the difficulty in accessing healthy child populations, among other causes, has limited its use in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to create reference cfPWV percentile curves for healthy children. The initial sample consisted of 350 girls and boys aged 8 to 11 years. The cfPWV per age and sex were generated using the lambda-mu-sigma (LMS) technique. The effects of sex, age, arterial pressure, and body mass index were taken into account. The main result of this study is the age- and height-specific cfPWV reference percentile curves for girls and boys. Curves were obtained for both sexes, since sexual differences were observed in growth and development rates that may affect cfPWV.

[Successful aging: criteria and predictors]. / Envejecimiento con éxito: criterios y predictores.

In the Anglo-Saxon scientific literature, successful aging has been consolidated during the last four decades. Nevertheless, several terms have been used as synonymous: healthy, active, productive, optimal, positive aging. Although, all these terms have been described through a broad set of bio-psycho-social factors, usually, research in this field reduces successful aging to daily life functioning and physical health. Also, in spite of the fact that authors consider that determinants might be multi-domain, empirical research usually reduces them to life styles. Logically, the prevalence of this kind of ageing found empirically is not very consistent and research of its determinants or predictors refers to biomedical conditions. In this study, data from 458 participants (170 males and 288 females; mean age: 66.47, range: 55-75) from ELEA ("Longitudinal Study of Active Aging") were examined. The results show (depending on the simple or multidimensional definitions used) a very varied range of proportions of successfully aging older persons as well as a large number of multi-domain predictors of successful ageing, among which are intelligence, personality and motivational psychological characteristics.

Envejecimiento con éxito: criterios y predictores / Successful aging: criteria and predictors

En la literatura científica anglosajona, envejecimiento con éxito es un término que ha ido consolidándose en los últimos años, al mismo tiempo que ha ido adoptando distintas denominaciones: «envejecimiento activo», «productivo», «saludable», «óptimo» o «positivo». A pesar de que estos conceptos han sido descritos mediante factores bio-psicosociales, la investigación empírica los ha reducido a variables funcionales y salud física y, aunque los autores consideran que los determinantes de este tipo de envejecimiento son también multi-dominio, su búsqueda e investigación ha sido también reducida a los estilos de vida. Lógicamente, la prevalencia de este tipo de envejecimiento hallada empíricamente es poco consistente y la investigación de sus determinantes o predictores se refi ere a condiciones biomédicas. En este trabajo hemos analizado los resultados de 458 personas (170 varones y 288 mujeres, media de edad: 66,47, rango: 55-75) participantes en el estudio ELEA (Estudio Longitudinal de Envejecimiento Activo). Los resultados ponen de manifiesto (en dependencia de las definiciones operacionales simples o multidimensionales utilizadas) una amplia disparidad en la proporción de personas que envejecen con éxito, así como un amplio número de predictores multidominio de envejecimiento con éxito, entre los cuales se encuentran variables psicológicas intelectuales, de la personalidad y motivacionales (AU)

In the Anglo-Saxon scientific literature, successful aging has been consolidated during the last four decades. Nevertheless, several terms have been used as synonymous: healthy, active, productive, optimal, positive aging. Although, all these terms have been described through a broad set of bio-psycho-social factors, usually, research in this fi eld reduces successful aging to daily life functioning and physical health. Also, in spite of the fact that authors consider that determinants might be multi-domain, empirical research usually reduces them to life styles. Logically, the prevalence of this kind of ageing found empirically is not very consistent and research of its determinants or predictors refers to biomedical conditions. In this study, data from 458 participants (170 males and 288 females; mean age: 66.47, range: 55-75) from ELEA («Longitudinal Study of Active Aging») were examined. The results show (depending on the simple or multidimensional definitions used) a very varied range of proportions of successfully aging older persons as well as a large number of multi-domain predictors of successful ageing, among which are intelligence, personality and motivational psychological characteristics (AU)