Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
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 all ages for 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.
- Integrated guidelines for cardiovascular health and risk reduction in children and adolescents. Bethesda, Md.: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cvd_ped/index.htm. Accessed Nov. 14, 2012.
- 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.
- Mattoo TK. Evaluation of hypertension in children and adolescents. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Nov. 9, 2012.
- Mattoo TK. Epidemiology, risk factors, and etiology of hypertension in children and adolescents. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Nov. 9, 2012.
- Mattoo TK. Treatment of hypertension in children and adolescents. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Nov. 9, 2012.
- High blood pressure in children. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/UnderstandYourRiskforHighBloodPressure/High-Blood-Pressure-in-Children_UCM_301868_Article.jsp. Accessed Nov. 9, 2012.
- Blood pressure tables for children and adolescents. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/hypertension/child_tbl.htm. Accessed Nov. 9, 2012.
- AskMayoExpert. Hypertension (pediatric). Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
- Stergiou GS, et al. Home blood pressure monitoring in children and adolescents: A systematic review. Journal of Hypertension. 2009;27:1941.
- Healthy weight: Tips for parents. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/children/index.html. Accessed Nov. 14, 2012.
Find Mayo Clinic on