Elevated Blood Pressure, Obesity, and Hyperlipidemia

Objectives: To investigate the association of blood pressure elevation with body mass index (BMI) and total cholesterol levels in children who screened positive for proteinuria, glucosuria, and/or hamaturia. Study design: From 1992 to 2000, a mass urine screening program was conducted annually for nearly 3 000 000 students aged 6 to 18 years. Of 99 350 students with positive results on urine tests, further examination found 17 548 students (17.7%) had blood pressure elevation. A case-control analysis was performed with randomly selected subjects with normal blood pressure who were frequency matched by sex and age. Results: The adjusted odds ratio for blood pressure elevation in obese students was 3.45 (95% CI, 3.20-3.72), compared with students of normal weight. The odds ratio for blood pressure elevation increased to 6.15 (95% CI, 4.12-9.18) for students with a total cholesterol level ≥250 mg/dL and obesity, compared with students with a total cholesterol level <200 mg/dL and normal weight. Conclusion: This study found a high prevalence of elevated blood pressure in children with abnormal urinalysis results, with a strong association with BMI and total choleterol level.