Relationship between body mass index and blood pressure in teenagers with Down Syndrome aged 15 or over from differentiated schools in Talca

Abstract

Most people with Down syndrome (DS) have a high body mass index (BMI). Several studies also indicate the risk of high blood pressure (HTN) in obese individuals. The objectives were to determine BMI, blood pressure (BP) and relate them to young people with DS aged 15 or
over who attend differentiated schools in Talca (Seventh region, Chile). 43 adolescents from both genders were evaluated. 27 were overweight or obese and 16 presented normal BMI. 29 teenagers had normal BP and it was high in 14 of them. The relationship between BMI and systolic BP (SBP) and between BMI and diastolic BP (DBP) was in the case of men the following r= -0.07 (p= 0.559) and r= 0.02 (p= 0.8676), and in the case of women, r= -0.4 (p= 0.0021) and r= -0.28 (p= 0.0349), respectively. The sample correlated r= -0.1 (p= 0.2595) and r= -0.04 (p= 0.6527) for BMI-SBP and BMI-DBP, respectively.