Hypertension in Children

Overcoming hypertension in children

This is a very frightening and potentially life shortening condition. Imagine being so young and having their heart have to work overtime. This is not a good prognosis for a long life.

The old adage "you are what you eat" was even true back in the Egyptian empire, as world renowned archeologists discovered through examining mummified remains of royal children. You guessed it: they discovered a high degree of hypertension in children.

Having no fast food restaurants to flee to, the royal children were forced to eat what their parents ate. Their parents had a very high rate of hypertension as well, due to the high level of fat and salt in their diet.

This condition in children is on a rapid increase due primarily to obesity. Most of today's children are lazy and spoiled just like their baby boomer parents. Rather than go out for a run or a walk, they will play a computer game while at the same time consuming a cheese burger, fries, and coke, just for a snack.

Some serious risks             

Children with high blood pressure are at risk for the following:

• stroke

• heart attack

• kidney disease

The most dangerous risk is that it goes untreated, because it produces no symptoms in the body.

As soon as the doctor discovers that someone in your family has child hypertension, a realistic blood pressure goal should be established. 

The old saying "he sure is hyper today" was not a result of the child sucking on too much hard candy; it was most likely because he had hypertension.

 

You will need to purchase a blood pressure monitor and record it every hour, day, and week. With this, you might be very surprised at what trends you identify. Establishing a well rounded diet that is low in salt and fat can go a long ways in treating the condition in children.

Go ahead and let your kids run around! 

The physical exercise is actually fighting the high blood pressure in children.

Blood pressure

A normal fully grown adult's blood pressure should be around 120/80; however, this is not true of a child who is still growing. Their recommended blood pressure will vary with height and weight.

Positive thinking

Try and teach your child from an early age to think positively and not to worry about things they have no control over. Remember that a hundred smiles a day keeps children's hypertension away.   

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