Sara Kibrom, MD

Although anxiety is known to be associated with elevated blood pressure and hypertension in adults, this has not been studied in children. The aim of this study was to determine the association between anxiety and elevated blood pressures in adolescents.Adolescents, aged 12-18 years old, referred to the nephrology clinic were eligible to participate. Elevated blood pressure was defined as either SBP or DBP measurement above the 95th percentile for age, height, and sex. Participants were evaluated for anxiety using the validated Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders questionnaire filled independently by the child (SCARED-C) and parent (SCARED-P) evaluating the child.Two hundred adolescents participated in this study. Thirty-one (53%) of SCARED-P-positive participants were found to have elevated blood pressure compared with 27 (19%) of SCARED-P negative, P 0.03. Twenty-five (43%) of SCARED-P positive had elevated DBP compared with 31 (28%) of SCARED-P negative (P 0.003). In SCARED-P positive, mean DBP (78.4 ± 9.9) was higher compared with SCARED-P negative (74.9 ± 9.2) (P 0.03). In a subgroup of adolescents (№ 130) not treated with blood pressure medications mean DBP was higher in both SCARED-P (79.0 ± 10.1) and SCARED-C (77.1 ± 10.4) positive groups compared with SCARED-P (73.6 ± 9.3) and SCARED-C (73 ± 8.9) negative, respectively.Our study demonstrates an association between anxiety and elevated DBP in adolescent children. Screening adolescents for anxiety should be a part of the routine evaluation of adolescent children.

View details for DOI 10.1097/HJH.0000000000003652

View details for PubMedID 38230613

View details for DOI 10.4300/JGME-D-22-00793.1

View details for PubMedID 37363674

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted health systems to rapidly adopt telehealth for clinical care. We examined the impact of demography, subspecialty characteristics, and broadband availability on the utilization of telehealth in pediatric populations before and after the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic.METHODS: Outpatients scheduled for subspecialty visits at sites affiliated with a single quaternary academic medical center between March - June 2019 and March - June 2020 were included. The contribution of demographic, socioeconomic, and broadband availability to visit completion and telehealth utilization were examined in multivariable regression analyses.RESULTS: Among visits scheduled in 2020 compared to 2019, in-person visits fell from 23,318 to 11,209, while telehealth visits increased from 150 to 7,675. Visits among established patients fell by 15% and new patients by 36% (p<.0001). Multivariable analysis revealed that completed visits were reduced for Hispanic patients and those with reduced broadband; high income, private non-HMO insurance, and those requesting an interpreter were more likely to complete visits. Of those with visits scheduled in 2020, established patients, those with reduced broadband, and patients older than 1 year were more likely to complete TH appointments. Cardiology, oncology, and pulmonology patients were less likely to complete scheduled TH appointments.CONCLUSIONS: Following COVID-19 onset, outpatient pediatric subspecialty visits shifted rapidly to telehealth. However, the impact of this shift on social disparities in outpatient utilization was mixed with variation among subspecialties. A growing reliance on telehealth will necessitate insights from other healthcare settings serving populations of diverse social and technological character.

View details for DOI 10.1016/j.acap.2022.03.010

View details for PubMedID 35318159