High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
High blood pressure - or hypertension- is defined in the adult as a systolic blood pressure greater than 140 millimetres of mercury, or a diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 millimetres of mercury. The values for children are lower - at the age of two a baby is hypertensive if the systolic blood pressure is greater than 112 mm, or if the diastolic is greater than 74. For a 12 year-old the corresponding figures are 126 and 82. The systolic blood pressure is determined by the strength of contraction of the heart, while the diastolic blood pressure is determined by the tone of the muscle in arterial walls. While in the adult high blood pressure is usually ‘essential’ because there is no underlying cause (there are many contributory factors including family history, age, race, diet, stress, alcohol intake, and obesity) in the child it is more frequently due to problems such as kidney disease - for example as a result of scarring from re flux (see kidney disorders in the urinary tract section), or disorders of blood vessels such as coarctation of the aorta (see this section). Hypertension is a risk factor for heart attack, stroke and heart failure - and the longer it persists untreated the greater the risk. Children at risk should have their blood pressure monitored.
We can reduce our chances of developing heart disease by avoiding substances that increase blood pressure - salt, caffeine, tobacco, too much alcohol - and increasing exercise so that we do not gain too much weight. If the blood pressure remains elevated despite these measures there are effective treatments.
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