Joseph T. Flynn, MD

Dr. Flynn is a Professor of Pediatrics in the University of Washington School of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Nephrology at Seattle Children’s. He has developed specialized expertise in the treatment of childhood hypertension and more recently in cardiovascular complications of chronic kidney disease in children. Follow him @drjosflynn.

Competitors for the Pediatric Nephrology Region

Genes in CAKUT vs Environment in CAKUT

GN Diagnosis vs Hypertension Diagnosis

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The prevalence of hypertension in youth has increased due to the childhood obesity epidemic. Ample data from published studies clearly support the concept that high blood pressure (BP) in childhood has detrimental short-term and long-term effects. In the absence of prospective clinical trial data, this conclusion must be drawn from other sources including cross-sectional studies of hypertensive target organ damage, tracking studies showing that high childhood BP results in adult hypertension, and longitudinal cohort studies demonstrating significant associations between high childhood BP and atherosclerosis and left ventricular hypertrophy in adults. Thus, measurement of BP and detection of hypertension in the young have important implications for future cardiovascular health. The 2017 AAP pediatric hypertension guidelines provide evidence-based guidance to the clinician to recognize and evaluate children and adolescents with high BP, which are essential for preventing adult cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the US.

– Post written by Joseph T. Flynn

As with all content on the AJKD Blog, the opinions expressed are those of the author of each post, and are not necessarily shared or endorsed by the AJKD Blog, AJKD, the National Kidney Foundation, Elsevier, or any other entity unless explicitly stated.

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