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With the growing obesity crisis in children that is rapidly becoming a problem in the United States, more kids are becoming susceptible to high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.
However, since high blood pressure has, until now, only been a problem in adults, and the procedure to test kids for the problem is quite complicated, many doctors are not even testing their younger patients.
High Blood Pressure Going Unnoticed
According to recent reports, more hypertension affects five percent of the children in America and more than three quarters of patients are not diagnosed, which puts them at high risk of developing heart disease and other illnesses later in life.
Although the condition is treatable, many kids and their parents don't realize that they're at risk until they become older and begin to experience symptoms associated with hypertension.
Dr. Richard Lange explains that, “Hypertension is a disease that doesn't cause symptoms, particularly in children. However, it does start to affect the blood vessels in the heart, kidney and brain, and many of these effects could be irreversible.”
The Study
In a study conducted by medical researchers and experts, 14,187 medical records were studied from children between the ages of 3 and 18.
The children had at least three routine checkups and their blood pressure was taken.
In the study, researchers found that 507 children had high blood pressure.
376 of these children were never diagnosed.
High Blood Pressure and Our Children's Future
High blood pressure in children can have an affect on their heart, kidney, and may cause them to have future problems in the brain and eyes.
“We have to start seeing children as soon-to-be young adults and make sure we do all we can to protect them from the diseases of adulthood,” explains Dr. Susan R. Mendely.
(Source: Baltimore Sun)
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