Obese Hispanic teens face greater hypertension risk than other racial groups

Obesity increases the chances of developing high blood pressure in most adolescents, but new research shows the increase is particularly pronounced in Hispanic teens when compared to other racial groups.

The study, from researchers at McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, was published in the journal Pediatrics.

Investigators studied data from more than 21,000 teens that participated in a high blood pressure screening program, which was conducted at 27 schools in the Houston area between 2000 and 2015.

Results showed that the prevalence of high blood pressure was significantly higher among obese Hispanic adolescents compared to overweight teens of white, black and Asian ethnic backgrounds. Additionally, high blood pressure was nearly six times higher in obese Hispanic adolescents compared to normal weight Hispanics.

High blood pressure was defined as one at the 95th percentile or higher for three consecutive screenings.

"We believe we are the first to compare adolescent blood pressures to body mass index in these four major ethnic/racial groups," said Joshua Samuels, MD, the study's lead author, a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at McGovern and an attending pediatric nephrologist at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, in a statement. "This is information parents need to know.”

The study didn’t reveal exactly why elevated blood pressure is associated with Hispanics more than other racial groups, but Samuels said the information can still be useful to healthcare providers as they treat this group.

"The prevalence of high blood pressure among Hispanic adolescents rises sharply with weight gain," Samuels said. "Normal weight Hispanic adolescents had the lowest level of high blood pressure among the four groups but obese Hispanic adolescents had the highest."