Even Children Can Have High Blood Pressure

JAMA Pediatrics Patient Page

While high blood pressure is more common in adults, it can affect children too.

Each time the heart beats, it pumps blood through tubes called arteries to all parts of the body. As blood moves through these arteries, it pushes against the walls of the arteries—this is known as blood pressure.

Pediatric hypertension, or high blood pressure in children, occurs when a child’s blood pushes too forcefully against the artery walls. Children are at a higher risk if there is a family history of high blood pressure, if they are carrying too much weight, or if they do not stay active.

Most children with hypertension do not have symptoms. Because hypertension is “silent,” the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends checking children’s blood pressure at pediatrician visits starting at age 3 years, or even earlier for children who had a low birth weight, were premature infants, had a long hospital stay after birth, or were born with heart or kidney disease.

A health care professional will measure the child’s blood pressure by wrapping an inflatable cuff around the arm. The cuff then squeezes the arm. There are different cuffs that are the right sizes for children as they grow. Blood pressure has 2 numbers: systolic (the higher number) and diastolic (the lower number). In adults, normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mm Hg. In children, normal blood pressure depends on their age, sex, and height. Your child’s pediatrician can determine if your child’s blood pressure is too high. Blood pressure can naturally go up and down throughout the day based on factors like activity level, diet, stress, and hormones. Additionally, the first blood pressure readings at a visit can sometimes be higher than usual due to the white coat syndrome in which a patient is nervous around physicians, causing the blood pressure to go up. For this reason, if a child’s blood pressure is high, it needs to be measured again at 2 separate follow-up visits to be sure they really have hypertension.

Living a healthy life is the key to preventing and treating high blood pressure. This includes having a balanced diet without too much fat or sugar, getting plenty of sleep, being physically active every day, and maintaining a healthy weight. If a child continues to have high blood pressure, blood and urine tests may help explain why. Sometimes physicians schedule scans of the heart or kidney to search for causes or complications of hypertension. If the blood pressure is high enough, a health care professional will prescribe medicine to lower it. Regular checkups are important to monitor the child’s blood pressure and overall health. By taking steps to manage your child’s blood pressure, you can help them have a long, healthy life.

The JAMA Pediatrics Patient Page is a public service of JAMA Pediatrics. The information and recommendations appearing on this page are appropriate in most instances, but they are not a substitute for medical diagnosis. For specific information concerning your child’s medical condition, JAMA Pediatrics suggests that you consult your child’s physician. This page may be downloaded or photocopied noncommercially by physicians and other health care professionals to share with patients. To purchase bulk reprints, email [email protected].

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