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High prevalence of elevated blood pressure among children with neurofibromatosis type 1

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Abstract

Background

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common neurocutaneous disease characterized by café-au-lait spots, axillary and inguinal freckling, neurofibromas, and optic gliomas. Increased rates of hypertension (HTN) were reported among NF1 patients, however, the prevalence of HTN and pre-HTN in pediatric NF1 patients has not been clarified.

Methods

Blood pressure (BP) measurements, weight, and renal ultrasound were assessed in 224 NF1 pediatric patients followed in a specialized NF1 clinic.

Results

The cohort’s mean age was 9.1 ± 4.1 years. Overweight and obesity were found in 12.9 and 10.3 % of them, respectively. BP was measured averagely 2.9 times per patient on different occasions. Blood pressure was in the pre-HTN and HTN ranges in 14.9 and 16.9 % of measurements, respectively. BP >95th was detected in 20.5 % at the first measurement. Of 114 children with at least three BP measurements, 18.4 % had two values in the HTN range and 6.14 % had at least three. Overweight was not associated with HTN among children with NF1. Urinary tract ultrasonographic abnormalities were detected in 6.8 % (11/161) of cases.

Conclusions

The prevalence of increased BP in pediatric NF1 is much higher than in the general pediatric population. BP has to be regularly assessed and managed in this high-risk population.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Esther Eshkol for English editing and David Ben-Shimol for technical assistance.

Ethical approval

The study was approved by the institutional ethical committee, and parental consent was not required for this retrospective anonymous chart review.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Tom Dubov, Hagit Toledano-Alhadef, Gil Chernin, Shlomi Constantini, Roxana Cleper & Shay Ben-Shachar

  2. The Gilbert Israeli Neurofibromatosis Center, Tel-Aviv Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Tom Dubov, Hagit Toledano-Alhadef, Shlomi Constantini & Shay Ben-Shachar

  3. Nephrology Department, Tel-Aviv Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Gil Chernin

  4. Pediatric Nephrology Service, Tel-Aviv Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Roxana Cleper

Authors
  1. Tom Dubov
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Correspondence to Shay Ben-Shachar.

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Dubov, T., Toledano-Alhadef, H., Chernin, G. et al. High prevalence of elevated blood pressure among children with neurofibromatosis type 1. Pediatr Nephrol 31, 131–136 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-015-3191-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-015-3191-6

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