What is it about ?
Blood pressure in children is lower than in adults. We are talking abouthypertension in children when the measured blood pressure repeatedly is greater than:
- 110/60 before the age of one;
- 115/75 between 1 and 5 years old;
- 125/85 between 6 and 10 years old;
- 140/90 over 10 years.
Hypertension that occurs just once, in an exceptional way, can have a benign cause, such as intense crying, intense exertion, or a stressful situation.
Causes
A high blood pressure no underlying problem is relatively rare in children, while in adults there is usually no underlying problem. Usually thehypertension in children has an underlying cause, such as:
- a kidney disease ;
- narrowing of the aorta;
- narrowing of the artery of the kidneys;
- pressure in the brain;
- hormonal disorders.
In older children, being overweight or inactivity may play a role.
What is its frequency?
High blood pressure without symptoms affects 1 in 20 to 1 in 100 children. In overweight children it is more common and represents about 1 in 10 children.
High blood pressure without an underlying cause is rare, but is found more and more often.
How to recognize it?
A high blood pressure does not cause symptoms. Most often, a hypertension in children is discovered during a routine examination or in the presence of symptoms related to the underlying cause.
How is the diagnosis made?
Blood pressure measurement
When the doctor notices a high blood pressure, there it will measure three times in the right arm during the following days (control measures). If necessary, the doctor measure blood pressure in small children during sleep because crying raises blood pressure.
The measure is performed on the arm and leg as the results may be different. If the aorta narrows, the blood pressure measured in the leg will be lower than in the arm. If the values are repeatedly above normal limits, the doctor will refer the child to a specialist.
Additional tests
Doctor will also auscultate the heart and feel the arteries in the groin and stomach. He will also look for possible symptoms of a hormonal disorder. Depending on the results, additional examinations will be carried out, such as a blood test, ultrasound or an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart).
What can your doctor do?
The doctor will always look for the underlying cause of thehypertension and process it, if possible. This will often normalize the blood pressure. If not, the doctor will prescribe medication to lower the blood pressure.
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