Abstract

Background: Primary hypertension is underdiagnosed in pediatric patients, with a prevalence of 3.5% that is on the rise. Objective: To establish differences in the diagnosis of the classification system of the primary healthcare network of Chile for children aged 0 - 9 years, based on the guidelines of the Division of Nephrology of the Chilean Society of Pediatrics, 2021, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, 2017. Methods: Comparative, descriptive, associative study, with a non-experimental, cross-sectional design. Convenience sample: 230 schoolchildren aged 6 - 8 years, Valparaiso. Blood pressure, nutritional status and waist circumference were assessed. Data were collected in 2015, 2018, 2019. Kendall's tau-b and Chi- square tests were used. Results: there are not significant differences of distribution between the classifications of the Chilean Society of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatrics; there is an association between body mass index and both classification systems (rτ = 0.179, p = 0.003; rτ = 0.059, p = 0.323 and rτ = 0.203, p = 0.001; rτ = 0.077, p = 0.192), respectively. The American scale shows a better degree of differentiation in the categories high blood pressure, stage 1 and stage 2, and regarding waist circumference. Conclusions: The American scale shows a better differentiation between categories of classification with respect to waist circumference.