Children At Risk For High Blood Pressure

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - When we think of high blood pressure we think about it occurring in middle-aged and older people but hypertension is a growing problem in children and young adults.

The greatest problem is in children who are obese. It is greater than 30% in boys and 23-30% in girls.

This much we know for certain, high blood pressure in children leads to high blood pressure in adults and adult hypertension is the leading cause of death in the world.

There is another major reason to be aware of the risk. When children get high blood pressure and it is not recognized and not treated it can lead to the damage of vital organs including the kidneys and the heart.

A recent study found that hypertension was diagnosed in only 26 percent of children with documented high blood pressure in an electronic medical record.

There is no specific number that parents and doctors can look for when it comes to high blood pressure. Normal blood pressure values in children increase with body size.