Body Mass Index (BMI) Is the Strongest Predictor of Systemic Hypertension and Cardiac Mass in a Cohort of Children.

In our cohort, body weight is strongly associated with HTN and cardiac mass. Importantly, the variation in body weight has a more significant impact on the consensual variation of cardiac mass than blood pressure (BP) values. A strict intervention on weight control through diet and a healthy lifestyle from early ages might reduce the burden of CV morbidity in later years.