Hypertension in children
MORE and more children are being diagnosed with hypertension — something that has been linked to lifestyle choices.
Dr Anona Griffith, paediatrician at Gateway Plaza, Old Harbour, said children are not immune to many of the conditions that face adults.
“Many of the diseases that were previously thought of as adult diseases are being seen in children and adolescents with increasing rates. However, with increasing awareness, better reporting and documentation, the rate of occurrence of these conditions is noted to be on the rise. Hypertension or high blood pressure, as it is commonly known, is one such condition,” she explained.
Blood pressure is described as the force of blood as it flows through the body’s vessels. Under normal conditions, the heart pumps blood through the vessels all over the body. However, in a hypertensive patient, the blood pushes very violently against the blood vessels, an action which can sometimes cause damage to blood vessels, the heart, and other organs.
“The diagnosis of hypertension is based on a sustained elevation in the blood pressure over a period of time above a certain limit for a child of the same age, height and sex. These limits would have been pre-established from the general population and are available for comparison. It also requires that an appropriately sized blood pressure cuff is to be utilised in order to establish the reliability of the testing method. The technique used should ideally involve the use of a stethoscope,” Dr Griffith explained.
In some cases, however, while children may not have hypertension, their blood pressure levels are reflective of a condition known as prehypertension, in which the blood pressure is elevated but is below that of the 95 percentile limit. At this point, there is a need for very close monitoring and lifestyle changes.
Dr Griffith said that if someone is diagnosed with hypertension, the cause must be established. She said if a cause cannot be identified, it is considered as primary hypertension and may be associated with risk factors such as poor diet, sedentary lifestyle and obesity.
“Often in children, there is an identifiable cause, which is usually discovered by way of positive/negative urine and imaging investigations… If the secondary cause is treated, it may help in the resolution of hypertension altogether,” Dr Griffith underscored.
If hypertension goes untreated, the long-term effects it has on the organ systems of the child’s body are identical to that which it has on adults. It means that as soon as children are diagnosed, parents need to explore treatment options, medicinal and otherwise, that will assist with managing the condition and minimising disability as well as preventing death, which could happen if the condition remains uncontrolled.
“This is why it is recommended that blood pressure screening should begin at the age of three, because early screening and detection make for early intervention. This test should be done routinely thereafter, based on risk factors such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, elevated cholesterol levels, family history or diabetes,” Dr Griffith advised.
