This area of research, hypertension in children and adolescents, is currently considered strategic due to the growth of the pathology in the pediatric population, which has worsened as a result of the current pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus.

The award ceremony for this and the other seven awards took place on Tuesday 13 April during the plenary session of the Congress of International and European Societies for High Blood Pressure, held from 11 to 14 April. with the online attendance of 5,000 delegates from around the world. The awards ceremony was held not only in English, the official language of the congress, but was also translated online into Chinese, given the interest in the event.

Hypertension causes 7.1 million deaths a year worldwide and contributes greatly to cardiovascular and kidney diseases such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, and chronic kidney disease. Diseases linked to high blood pressure are the leading cause of death in Europe, with an annual economic impact of around one billion euros. Although the greatest impact occurs in adulthood and old age, high blood pressure also occurs at an early age, a cardiovascular risk factor that has received relatively little attention.

The HyperChildNET network maintains a sustainable and multidisciplinary European network that investigates the factors that affect high blood pressure in children and can propose and implement corrective and preventive actions both globally and locally. The proposal coordinated by the University of Valencia involves research staff, doctors, specialists, managers, as well as patients, regulatory bodies, pharmaceutical and nutrition companies and manufacturers of medical devices.