Symposium 4 (HA): Advances in treatment for paediatric hypertension and obesity
Tracks
Track 4
| Wednesday, December 10, 2025 |
| 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM |
Details
This symposium will explore recent developments in the management of paediatric hypertension and obesity, two interlinked and increasingly prevalent conditions with significant long-term health implications. The session will open with a keynote address on emerging therapies for treatment-resistant hypertension, with opportunity for discussion about translation of state-of-the-art adult practices to paediatrics. The new Australian guidelines on the identification and management of high blood pressure in children will be presented, focusing on recommendations for therapy. Recognising the critical role of lifestyle modification, we will also discuss patient- and clinician-focused resources for implementing the DASH diet in paediatric populations. Finally, the symposium will cover innovative methods for managing childhood obesity, including new therapeutic options beyond lifestyle intervention. Together, these talks will provide a comprehensive overview of current and future strategies to improve cardiovascular health outcomes for young patients. The session will deliver a practical and forward-looking perspective for clinicians and researchers focused on improving cardiovascular outcomes in young populations.
Speaker
Prof Markus Schlaich
Dobney Hypertension Centre - Royal Perth Hospital - University of Western Australia
Emerging therapies for treatment resistant hypertension
Biography
Prof Markus Schlaich is a renal physician and a European Society of Hypertension (ESH) accredited hypertension specialist. Markus is Chair of Hypertension Australia and Co-Chair of the National Hypertension Taskforce. He has a strong background in clinical research with a focus on the pathophysiology of hypertension, the role of the sympathetic nervous system, involvement of the kidneys, and hypertension mediated organ damage. He has a specific interest in treatment modalities targeting the sympathetic nervous system and has been a pioneer of renal denervation and other interventional approaches. He has authored more than 475 articles in peer reviewed journals and serves on the Editorial Board of Hypertension, Journal of Hypertension, and Hypertension Research.
Dr Nicholas Larkins
Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist
Perth Children's Hospital
New Australian Guideline for Children and Adolescents - when, why and how to manage BP in children
Biography
Dr Larkins is paediatric nephrologist at Perth Children’s Hospital and Senior Research Fellow at the ECU Nutrition & Health Innovation Research Institute. He is an active researcher whose PhD studied hypertension and albuminuria among Australian Children. His current research includes efforts to better define and identify hypertension among children, along with a focus on early-life risk factors among Australian Aboriginal children. Dr Larkins is the Chair of the Clinical Advisory Panel for the BPOzKids Network creating the first Australian Guideline for the Investigation and Management of Hypertension in Children collaborating with diverse interdisciplinary healthcare professionals and consumers to fill an important gap and promote a lifecourse approach to blood pressure and cardiovascular risk.
Arielle Hyland
Senior Dietitian
Perth Children’s Hospital
DASH diet resource to support lifestyle intervention for paediatric hypertension
Biography
Arielle Hyland is a Senior Paediatric Dietitian at Perth Children’s Hospital, specialising in nephrology, familial hypercholesterolaemia, and ketogenic diets for epilepsy. Over the past 10 years she has worked across various hospital and community settings in Western Australia and recently worked in nephrology at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. Arielle is focused on translating evidence into practical, family-centred strategies to improve growth, feeding development, and prevention of cardiovascular disease. She has co-designed an Australian paediatric DASH diet resource to support the new Australian paediatric hypertension guidelines. Arielle is currently leading the development of education resources for both dietitians and consumers on familial hypercholesterolaemia, in response to increasing diagnoses identified via cascade screening.
Dr Danielle Longmore
Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist
Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne
Emerging methods for treating childhood obesity
Biography
Chair
Rae-Chi Huang
Edith Cowan University/Perth Children’s Hospital
Jonathan Mynard
Murdoch Children's Research Institute
