High blood pressure in children is not rare, and research has shown it can continue as the child grows into adulthood, leading to various health issues.
The American Heart Association emphasizes the importance of better screening and treatment for children to catch any health issues ahead of time.
Blood pressure among children is not measured exactly as adult blood pressure is. Because of that, blood pressure measurements are often skipped during routine pediatric visits.
Some children have hypertension, but the definition is also different compared to when adults have it. Doctors have to use charts to determine when a child’s blood pressure is clearly out of the normal range.
That is why there is something called “white coat” hypertension. That is when high blood pressure from the anxiety of being at the doctor’s office. This is relatively common and can be identified if the blood pressure is normal when measured at home or after the child is completely relaxed. White coat hypertension is harmless.
Sometimes high blood pressure in a child is from an underlying medical problem like kidney disease or a hormone problem. Your child’s doctor would address that differently.
High blood pressure in a child that does not have an apparent cause is called primary hypertension, and that’s what doctors mainly screen for. It’s most importantly, something we can often change by addressing obesity, the amount of physical activity a child does, their sleep and nutrition - particularly the amount of salt in their diet.
It’s very unusual for a child to be required blood pressure medication. Often controlling those factors is enough. Incidentally, after age 13, the blood pressure we consider elevated is no longer adjusted by age or size.