近二十年來，亞洲地區的高血壓盛行率明顯上升。中國與美國的最新研究指出，年輕成人高血壓意識、接受藥物治療和控制良好的比例均較中、老年人為低。雖然兒童與青少年高血壓盛行率較成人低，也很少併發嚴重的心血管事件，但兒童、青少年時期血壓升高與成人期高血壓密切相關。因兒童、青少年的血壓依性別、年齡和身高而不同，早期發現和診斷年齡群體的高血壓較困難。此外，兒童與青少年健康觀念未完全建立，照顧者亦容易忽略其血壓高，需衛生單位更積極預防及減少年輕族群的心血管疾病的危險因子。本文簡介年輕群體的高血壓危險因子、流行病學及最新治療指引和建議。

The prevalence of hypertension has increased in the last two decades, especially in Asia. The latest epidemiologic surveys in China and the Unites states have shown that the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension were much lower among young adults (age, 18-39 years) than among their middle-aged (age, 40-59 years) and older counterparts (age, ≥60 years). While hypertension and cardiovascular events are uncommon in children or adolescents, elevated blood pressure in the young is significantly related to adult hypertension. Screening or diagnosis of hypertension in children is not easy because the reference of normal blood pressure differs among individuals in terms of gender, age and height. Children and adolescents tend to have a less well-established health concept, and caregivers might overlook their young kids’ high blood pressure. Public health authorities should therefore be more proactive in preventing and reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease in children and adolescents. In this article, we briefly review the risk factors, epidemiology, latest diagnostic criteria and treatment of hypertension in the young population.