Measure blood pressure is important
Children and adolescents also need to measure their blood pressure during medical appointments
30/04/2024
ON THE NATIONAL DAY TO PREVENT AND COMBAT ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION, TODAY, APRIL 26, PRO CRIANÇA DRAWS ATTENTION TO THE INCREASE OF THE DISEASE AMONG CHILDREN
Did you know that, in general, hypertensive children and adolescents are asymptomatic? Only a few present with headaches, irritability and sleep disturbances. Did you also know that studies show that primary Arterial Hypertension (AH) has been increasing in recent years in children over six years of age who are overweight, obese, or have a positive family history of the disease?
Therefore, in line with the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (SBP), the pediatric cardiologists at Pro Criança Cardiac take advantage of the attention focused on the topic this April 26th, National Day for the Prevention and Combat of Arterial Hypertension, to warn about the importance of measure blood pressure (BP) at each visit. The SBP says that, “even today, the diagnosis has been made late, due to the lack of inclusion of blood pressure measurement as a routine in the child’s physical examination”.
Dr. Isabela Rangel, Medical Director of Pro Criança Cardiac, highlights that the procedure is even more fundamental in the case of obese children; or who take medications that can raise blood pressure; who have kidney disease; who are diabetic or have a history of aortic coarctation. “The pediatrician should also take this measurement in the neonatal period, to rule out heart and kidney diseases, among others,” she highlights.
“We have been receiving more and more patients with high blood pressure and the majority without a secondary cause. We attribute the increase in primary AH to the increasing sedentary lifestyle in the pediatric population, inadequate nutrition, associated with a positive family history of hypertension and increased stress”, says Dr. Isabela.
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION:
KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
Primary AH is one that affects the majority of the population – including children and adolescents – and has no identifiable medical cause. Most of the time, it is due to lifestyle, which includes a high intake of salt and calories, factors that lead to excessive weight or obesity, directly related to elevated blood pressure (BP).
Secondary hypertension in children is caused by identifiable diseases, including renal artery thrombosis, renal artery stenosis, congenital renal malformations, aortic coarctation, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, renal parenchymal diseases and primary arterial hypertension.
WHAT ARE THE BLOOD PRESSURE VALUES IN CHILDHOOD?
The analysis of blood pressure in childhood uses as a reference normal values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure in children and adolescents of the same age, sex and height percentile. In childhood, a percentile above 95 is a sign of established hypertension.
