Hypertension is no longer just an adult problem. More and more teenagers are struggling with this dangerous disease, which can have serious consequences for their health. Obesity, unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity are just some of the risk factors contributing to the rise in hypertension among young people.

Hypertension in children and adolescents can be primary (spontaneous), but is much more common than in the adult population as a result of other diseases. Among the secondary causes of hypertension in children and adolescents, kidney parenchymal and vascular diseases predominate. Other causes include thyroid disease. Spontaneous hypertension is more common in children with a family history of hypertension and in children who are overweight or obese.

Hypertension affects 4% of children and up to 10% of adolescents representing a significant health and social problem not only in adult medicine, but also in pediatrics. Untreated or ineffectively treated hypertension can cause many dangerous diseases and even death from cardiovascular causes later in adulthood.

According to the recommendations of the European Society of Hypertension and the Polish Society of Hypertension, beta-blockers are among the drugs that can be used in adolescents. There are very many factors strongly pointing to the effectiveness of these drugs, despite possible side effects.

- The treatment of hypertension in the developmental period is challenging due to the few available drugs registered for this group of patients. Nebivolol is a modern drug with a complex mechanism of action. It not only lowers blood pressure, but also has a protective effect on the heart and blood vessels, and has positive effects on carbohydrate and fat metabolism. We hope that the results will allow us to evaluate not only the drug's effect on blood pressure, but also on the function and structure of the heart, arterial vessels, and lipid and carbohydrate disorders. We believe the results will also allow us to determine which patients will benefit most from treatment with the drug," explains Małgorzata Pańczyk-Tomaszewska, MD, principal investigator in the ESONIA project.

The Warsaw Medical University's ESONIA project is a multicenter non-commercial clinical trial designed to demonstrate that nebivolol is effective in treating hypertension in adolescents with minimized side effects. The study is funded by the Medical Research Agency.

Adolescents aged 12 to 17 with hypertension will be included in the study.

- In the first stage, the patient does not yet receive the study drug; in the second stage, the patient is randomly assigned to a group receiving the drug or to a group receiving a placebo ("empty" tablet); in the third, longest stage, all patients receive the study drug. At the end of each stage, tests are performed to assess the participant's cardiovascular status and metabolic profile," explains Małgorzata Pańczyk-Tomaszewska, MD.

Centers recruiting patients for the ESONIA study:

Children's Clinical Hospital University Clinical Center, Department of Nephrology and Pediatrics, 63A Żwirki i Wigury St., 02-091 Warsaw. Principal investigator: Małgorzata Pańczyk-Tomaszewska, PhD.
University Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatric Nephrology, 265 Wielicka St., 30-663 Kraków. Principal Investigator: Prof. Dorota Drożdż, MD.
Polish Mother's Memorial Health Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Immunology and Nephrology, 281/289 Rzgowska St., 93-338 Lodz. Principal investigator: Prof. Marcin Tkaczyk, MD, PhD.
L. Zamenhof University Children's Clinical Hospital in Bialystok, Department of Pediatrics and Nephrology, 17 Waszyngtona St., 15-274 Bialystok. Principal Investigator: Prof. Anna Wasilewska, MD.
University Clinical Center in Gdansk, Department of Kidney Diseases and Hypertension of Children and Adolescents, 7 Debinki St., 80-952 Gdansk. Principal investigator: Ilona Zagozdzon, MD, PhD.

Source: AMB