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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffHigh blood pressure (hypertension) in children is blood pressure that's the same as or higher than 95 percent of children who are the same sex, age and height as your child. There isn't a simple target blood pressure reading that indicates high blood pressure in children, because what's considered normal blood pressure changes as children grow.
High blood pressure in children younger than 10 years old is usually caused by another medical condition. High blood pressure in children can also develop for the same reasons it does in adults — being overweight, eating a poor diet and not exercising.
Lifestyle changes, such as eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising more, can help reduce high blood pressure in children. But, for some children, medications may be necessary.
- Matoo TK. Definition and diagnosis of hypertension in children and adolescents. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 5, 2010.
- High blood pressure in children. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/print_presenter.jhtml?identifier=214. Accessed May 10, 2010.
- Luma GB, et al. Hypertension in children and adolescents. American Family Physician. 2006;73:1158.
- What are the signs and symptoms of high blood pressure? The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Hbp/HBP_SignsAndSymptoms.html. Accessed May 10, 2010.
- Hypertensive emergencies. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec07/ch071/ch071c.html. Accessed May 10, 2010.
- National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group on High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. The Fourth Report on the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics. 2004;114:555.
- Anglum A. Primary care management of childhood and adolescent hypertension. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. 2009;21:529.
- Flynn JT. Hypertension in the young: Epidemiology, sequelae and therapy. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation. 2009;24:370.
- Stergiou GS, et al. Home blood pressure monitoring in children and adolescents: A systematic review. Journal of Hypertension. 2009;27:1941.
- Garin EH, et al. Treatment of systemic hypertension in children and adolescents. Current Opinion in Pediatrics. 2009;21:600.
- Lurbe E, et al. Management of high blood pressure in children and adolescents: recommendations of the European Society of Hypertension. Journal of Hypertension. 2009;27:17.
- Hoecker J (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 11, 2010.
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