Cohort Studies, Meta-analyses, and Clinical Trials in Childhood Hypertension

Increasing recognition of both the life course impact of hypertension from early childhood and its true underlying prevalence with the use of improved diagnostic methods led to a steadily expanding clinical research base aiming to address this problem. However, important methodological challenges still exist when researching a condition for which the downstream complications may not be evident for many years and about which there are important questions about definitions and thresholds. This chapter aims to inform the reader of different study designs as they apply to pediatric hypertension and how these can be applied to answer specific questions of clinical importance. We also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different study designs, and the results of some particularly impactful trials are discussed. Recent advances in study design and epidemiology are covered, including the role of data sharing and qualitative research.