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- Early hypertension has both long- and short-term potential effects. Recent studies indicate that hypertensive children have increased difficulty with goal-oriented tasks, memory and planning. Children with both hypertension and obesity also experience increased levels of anxiety and depression. Researchers also now believe that adult problems with high blood pressure---and resulting risks for stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and atherosclerosis---are frequently extensions of conditions that began in childhood.
- Parents are often surprised to learn that even their young children are potentially at risk for the effects of hypertension. Beyond obesity, factors include premature birth, family history, ethnicity (with African Americans being particularly susceptible) and underlying conditions such as endocrine disorders, heart disease, kidney disease and incorrectly formed blood vessels. Use of improper medicines may also be a factor. Additionally, a small number of kids have hypertension without any known cause. For all of these reasons, the American Heart Association recommends annual blood pressure screening for children 3 years and older.
- Blood Pressure Machine
Typically, child hypertension presents no clear outward symptoms. What's more, common daily activities naturally cause fluctuations in blood pressure. As a result, diagnosing the condition can be a bit tricky. Commonly, doctors testing children administer a series of separate blood pressure checks before determining a baseline reading (unless initial readings show a need for prompt action). Some doctors use a device that continually monitors pressure for extended periods of time.
Whatever the method used, doctors must take a child's age into account when issuing a diagnosis. Blood pressure increases naturally as children develop, and findings that would be high in a 10-year-old might be quite normal for a 14-year-old. As a rule, doctors agree that kids of similar age, height and gender have hypertension when their blood pressure readings are higher than 95 percent of their peers. - When a diagnosis of hypertension is given, steps to treatment vary. Hypertension linked to underlying diseases (commonly referred to as secondary hypertension) generally eases or disappears with successful treatment of the disease. Similarly, medication-induced hypertension can be stopped by stopping the medication.
Most hypertension in children over the age of 6 is related to obesity, family background or ethnicity. Treatment for these factors is similar: exercise, lowered salt and fat intake, increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, and weight loss (or maintenance, when obesity is not involved). Regular exercise is also recommended, except for children with severe or uncontrolled hypertension. Smoking, or taking up the habit later in life, is strongly discouraged. Doctors typically avoid using medication to control mild or moderate child hypertension, but may do so in cases that are severe or otherwise unmanageable.
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