Peer-reviewed article
The role of epigenetics in hypertension of children and adolescents: a systematic review.
Lilik Sukesi, Yunia Sribudiani, Steven Yulius Usman, Eric Ricardo Yonatan, Ahmedz Widiasta et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This systematic review examined the scientific evidence for whether epigenetic changes—modifications to how genes are expressed—play a role in high blood pressure in children and adolescents. The researchers reviewed 14 published studies and found that most studies (78.5%) reported a connection between epigenetic changes and blood pressure levels. However, the studies examined different genes and genetic variations, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about which specific changes matter most.
Key points
- Eleven of fourteen studies (78.5%) found a correlation between epigenetic modifications and blood pressure in children and adolescents
- The studies examined different genes and genetic loci, limiting comparability across findings
- Epigenetic changes to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and other genes were associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure
- The review followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines and used standardized quality assessment tools (NOS and AHRQ criteria)
Limitations
The review does not specify which countries the included studies were from, and the summary does not indicate whether the findings have clinical significance or can be applied to prevention or treatment of childhood hypertension.
Abstract
AIM: This systematic review study aimed to discuss about the possibility role of epigenetic in HTN of children and adolescent. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This evidence-based research is implemented within the scope of the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) 2020. The data were analyzed qualitatively to assess the risk of bias, with the New Ottawa Scale (NOS) and Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ) criteria as the thresholds. Our research highlights in particular showed that there is a role for epigenetics in HTN in children and adolescents. CONCLUSION: Fourteen journals were included to be qualitatively assessed. Eleven journals (78.5%) stated that there was a correlation between epigenetic and BP in children and adolescents, however each study examined different genes or loci. In summary, epigenetic modifications of various single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and other genes were associated with higher systolic and diastolic BP in children and adolescents.