Hypertension is a condition that can affect not only adults, but also children, kids, and even babies. When kids have high blood pressure, it's usually because of something wrong with their heart or kidneys. But it has been seen that children can have high blood pressure even if they don't have a problem with their heart or kidneys. This happens when there is a history of high blood pressure in the family and the child has a bad diet, is overweight, is stressed out, and doesn't get enough exercise.
Even though 4.5 percent of kids are thought to have high blood pressure. High blood pressure is very common in adults, but it is also becoming more common in children. Researchers think this is because more children are becoming overweight.
The only way to know if your child has high blood pressure is to check it often. When a child is about 3 years old, doctors usually start taking their blood pressure during regular checkups. High blood pressure can cause damage to the heart, brain, kidneys, and eyes if it is not treated. A child with high blood pressure can live an active, normal life if it is found early, monitored, and treated.
Problems that come from high blood pressure in the long run
When a child has high blood pressure, it puts a lot more stress on the heart and arteries. The heart has to work against a lot of force. The heart has to pump harder, and the arteries have to carry more blood with more force. If you have high blood pressure for a long time, your heart and arteries might stop working as well as they should. A child with high blood pressure is more likely to have a stroke, transient ischemic attack, cerebral vascular accident, heart attack, kidney failure, loss of vision, or atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
Even if a child has high blood pressure but doesn't have any symptoms, it still affects the body and puts the child at risk for these long-term health problems. In rare cases, severe high blood pressure can lead to headaches, dizziness, nosebleeds, heart palpitations, changes in vision, and feeling sick. If your child has very high blood pressure and any of these signs, you should call your doctor right away.
When you take your kids to the doctor, it's common for the first blood pressure reading to be high because the child is nervous. Because of this, the doctor will probably take three or four readings and use the average to figure out if your child has high blood pressure or is at risk of getting it.
High blood pressure has many causes.
Depending on how old a child is, different things can cause high blood pressure. More often than not, a child's high blood pressure is caused by something else. This is more likely the younger the child is. Most babies with high blood pressure are born before their due date. Some babies are born with high blood pressure because their hearts, kidneys, or lungs aren't working right. Most of the time, these problems are caused by bronchopulmonary dysplasia, which is an immaturity of the lungs in premature babies, or by problems with the blood vessels, like coarctation of the aorta, which is a narrowing of part of the main blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart to the rest of the body. Most of the time, obesity and high blood pressure are linked in kids and teens. These days, a lot of school-aged kids are overweight. Sometimes it's because of a problem with the kidneys, but it can also be caused by things like problems with the blood vessels or hormone problems. Some medicines, like steroids and oral contraceptives, as well as too much alcohol and illegal drugs, can raise blood pressure.
How to Tell if a Child Has High Blood Pressure
Since high blood pressure usually doesn't cause any symptoms, it can be hard to figure out if a child has it. The only sure way to know if your child has high blood pressure is to measure it at regular checkups. So, it's important to keep those appointments, especially if your child is overweight or if high blood pressure runs in your family. A new test called "ambulatory blood pressure monitoring" has a child wear a blood pressure cuff all day. Some people think it is more accurate than blood pressure tests at the doctor's office because the child is less likely to be stressed out by going to the doctor and the blood pressure is measured over a longer period of time.
High Blood Pressure Treatment
If hypertension is caused by an underlying illness, treating that illness may be enough to bring the blood pressure back to normal. For example, treating a narrowed aorta can make a big difference in blood pressure. If there is no underlying illness, your child's doctor will try to control the blood pressure with natural methods. He may suggest that your child lose weight, eat more fruits and vegetables, eat less salt, get more exercise, or even learn how to relax. Kids with high blood pressure should also stop smoking or never start. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart attack, and it can make the heart problems they already have worse over time. Most doctors don't like to give medicine to children with mild high blood pressure. But if making changes to your lifestyle doesn't help, the doctor may prescribe medicine.
All kids with hypertension that isn't too bad or is well-controlled are encouraged to exercise and play organized sports. In fact, the best way to control your weight and blood pressure is to stay fit. If your child is overweight, a long-term weight-loss program overseen by his or her doctor and at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every day may help a lot to keep blood pressure under control. But kids with severe hypertension shouldn't do weightlifting, powerlifting, bodybuilding, or strength training until their blood pressure is under control and a doctor says it's okay.
Don't forget that the sooner you get high blood pressure, the sooner you will have to deal with its side effects. So, try to keep your blood pressure in the normal range so you can stay healthy and live a normal life.
