High blood pressure in the Children

We usually think of high blood pressure, or hypertension, as a problem that affects adults. But, in fact, this condition can be present at any age, even in infancy. About five of every hundred children have higher than normal blood pressure, although fewer than one in a hundred has medically significant hypertension.

How blood pressure is measured

The term blood pressure actually refers to two separate measurements:

• systolic blood pressure is the highest pressure reached in the arteries as the heart pumps blood out for circulation through the body
  

• diastolic blood pressure is the much lower pressure that occurs in the arteries when the heart relaxes to take blood in between beats
  

If either or both of these measurements are above the range found in healthy individuals of similar age and sex, it’s called hypertension.

Who gets high blood pressure

• Hypertension is more common among individuals of color than whites. It also seems to be more prevalent in some parts of the world; for example, it’s very rare among Alaskan Inuit, but affects as many as forty of every hundred adults in northern Japan.
  

• In many cases hypertension seems to develop with age. As a result, your child may show no signs of high blood pressure as an infant, but may develop the condition as she grows.
  

• Youngsters who are overweight are also more prone to have hypertension (and other chronic diseases). Thus good eating habits (without overeating and without emphasizing high-fat foods) and plenty of physical activity are important throughout the early years of childhood (and for the rest of her life).
  

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