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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffChildren who have high blood pressure are likely to continue to have high blood pressure as adults unless they begin treatment.
A common complication associated with high blood pressure in children is sleep apnea, a condition in which your child may snore or have abnormal breathing when he or she sleeps. Pay attention to breathing problems your child may have while sleeping. Children who have sleep-disordered breathing, such as sleep apnea, often have problems with high blood pressure — particularly children who are overweight.
If, as often happens, your child's high blood pressure persists into adulthood, your child could be at risk of:
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- Kidney disease
- 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.
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