Blood Pressure in Adults with CP
Citation: Noten S, van den Berg-Emons RJG, Thorpe DE, Heyn PC, Marciniak CM, McPhee PG, Lamberts RP, Langerak NG, Verschuren O, Salokivi T, Morrison KM, Peterson MD, Limsakul C, Stam HJ, Papageorgiou G, Versmissen J, Van Der Slot WMA. Blood pressure in adults with cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data. J Hypertens. 2021 Oct 1;39(10):1942-1955. doi: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000002912. PMID: 34102658
Study type / Population: Systematic review using metanalysis to examine the prevalence of hypertension among 444 adults with cerebral palsy (CP).
Key findings: This study provides further evidence of a higher prevalence of hypertension (28.7% in this study) amongst a diverse, international cohort of relatively young adults with CP relative to reference groups without CP (reported at 22.1%). Body mass index (BMI), resting heart rate and alcohol consumption were associated with higher blood pressure readings and also with formal diagnoses of hypertension. Subgroups of people with CP who had higher blood pressure readings and hypertension rates included males, those over 40 years of age, those with spasticity and those living in Africa. CP distribution and functional level (GMFCS) did not appear to influence rates of hypertension.
Translation to practice (what this paper adds): Adults with CP have an increased rate of high blood pressure compared to those without CP. Due to the high prevalence of hypertension in adults with CP, screening should start in young adulthood. More research is needed to clarify the impact of spasticity on blood pressure measurement and the best methods to obtain blood pressures in people with CP.