Highbloodpressureinkidsifleftuntreatedaffectsthehealthandalsoleadstoheartandkidneydiseases.Findoutthefactorsthatcausehighbloodpressureinkidsandalsowaystotreatit.Highbloodpressureorhypertensionisbecomingaverycommondiseasethesedays.Earlieritwasassumedthatitaffectsonlyolderpeopleoradults,butnowalotofkidsaresufferingfromthismedicalcondition.Thereisacertainforcewithwhichthebloodflowsthroughthebloodvessels.Itisimportantforthevesselstocontractandwidenasperrequirementsothattheflowofbloodisuninterrupted.Withhighbloodpressure,thebloodhappenstopushprettyhardatthevesselscausingdamagetothem,alongwiththeheartandotherassociatedorgans.Whetherthekidhashighbloodpressureornotisconfirmedthroughseveraltestsaspertheheightandsexofthechild.InthisarticleImpactofHighBloodPressureinKidsTheRiskFactorsControllingRiskFactors–ObesityEatingTooMuchLittleorNoActivityTreatmentforHighBloodPressureinKidsImpactofHighBloodPressureinKidsThehealthimpactofhighbloodpressureinkidsislongterm,andthedamageisserious.Itcanresultisheartandkidneydiseasesandevenleadtostroke.TheRiskFactorsWithafamilyhistoryofhighpressure,thekidismorelikelytodeveloptheconditioncomparedtotherest.Obesityisanotherprevalentfactorthatleadstohypertension.Severaltypesofsleepdisordersandsleepapnoeaareknowntocausehighbloodpressureinkids.ControllingRiskFactors–ObesityCertainfactors,likethegeneticonesarenotmuchinourcontrol,butstepscanbetakentocontroltheimpactoftheotherriskfactorswhentheyarereadilynoticeable.Obesityisonesuchfactorandparentsneedtotakeadditionalcareinordertocontroltheconditionasmuchaspossible.Obesityisfoundtobeassociatedwithtwoprincipalaspects:EatingTooMuchAlotofkidstendtoeatalotmorethanabodyactuallyrequires.Iftheregulardietcomprisesofallthewrongvariantsoffoodelements,likejunkoilystuffandsugarloadedbeverages,obesitycomesasanaturalfollow-through.Sothequalityandquantityofthefoodthatthekidtakesinbecomesveryimportant.LittleorNoActivityChildhoodactivitythesedayshavebecomeverylessduetolifestylefactorsandseveralotherconditions.Thereisnotmuchworkout,exercisesorotherphysicalactivitiesandmoreoftenthannotkidsleadaverysedentarylifestyle.Entertainmentandsportsarenolongeradominantlyoutdooractivity,asthegearhasshiftedindoorstotheengagingworldofmyriadvideogamesandtelevision.Sowithnoregularexercise,obesityandhypertensionbecomeverycommon.TreatmentforHighBloodPressureinKidsCombinationsofdrugsaregenerallysuggestedtotreathighbloodpressureinkids.Diureticsareatypethatreducesthefluidcontentofthebloodandthusthekid’ssystemgetsridoftheextrasodium.Thealpha-blockers,theACEinhibitorsandthecalciumchannelblockerspreventthebloodvesselsfromturningrigid.Thebetablockersmakesthebodyproducelesseramountsofadrenaline,whichisessentiallyastresshormone,thatcauseasurgeintheheartbeatrate,tightenbloodvesselsandtherebyincreasethebloodpressure.Youcantakecareofyourkidwithhighbloodpressurebymonitoringhisdietcomponentsandplanensuringthatheisengaginginenoughphysicalactivitythroughouttheday.Nottoforgettheprescribedmedications.Itisprimarilybycontrollingallthelifestyleissuesthathypertensionandotherriskdiseasesoftheheartandkidneyscanbeeffectivelypreventedandcured.
High blood pressure in kids if left untreated affects the health and also leads to heart and kidney diseases. Find out the factors that cause high blood pressure in kids and also ways to treat it. High blood pressure or hypertension is becoming a very common disease these days. Earlier it was assumed that it affects only older people or adults, but now a lot of kids are suffering from this medical condition. There is a certain force with which the blood flows through the blood vessels. It is important for the vessels to contract and widen as per requirement so that the flow of blood is uninterrupted.
With high blood pressure, the blood happens to push pretty hard at the vessels causing damage to them, along with the heart and other associated organs. Whether the kid has high blood pressure or not is confirmed through several tests as per the height and sex of the child.
Impact of High Blood Pressure in Kids
The health impact of high blood pressure in kids is long term, and the damage is serious. It can result is heart and kidney diseases and even lead to stroke.
The Risk Factors
With a family history of high pressure, the kid is more likely to develop the condition compared to the rest. Obesity is another prevalent factor that leads to hypertension. Several types of sleep disorders and sleep apnoea are known to cause high blood pressure in kids.
Controlling Risk Factors – Obesity
Certain factors, like the genetic ones are not much in our control, but steps can be taken to control the impact of the other risk factors when they are readily noticeable. Obesity is one such factor and parents need to take additional care in order to control the condition as much as possible. Obesity is found to be associated with two principal aspects:
Eating Too Much
A lot of kids tend to eat a lot more than a body actually requires. If the regular diet comprises of all the wrong variants of food elements, like junk oily stuff and sugar loaded beverages, obesity comes as a natural follow-through. So the quality and quantity of the food that the kid takes in becomes very important.
Little or No Activity
Childhood activity these days have become very less due to lifestyle factors and several other conditions. There is not much workout, exercises or other physical activities and more often than not kids lead a very sedentary lifestyle. Entertainment and sports are no longer a dominantly outdoor activity, as the gear has shifted indoors to the engaging world of myriad video games and television. So with no regular exercise, obesity and hypertension become very common.
Treatment for High Blood Pressure in Kids
Combinations of drugs are generally suggested to treat high blood pressure in kids. Diuretics are a type that reduces the fluid content of the blood and thus the kid’s system gets rid of the extra sodium. The alpha-blockers, the ACE inhibitors and the calcium channel blockers prevent the blood vessels from turning rigid. The beta blockers makes the body produce lesser amounts of adrenaline, which is essentially a stress hormone, that cause a surge in the heartbeat rate, tighten blood vessels and thereby increase the blood pressure.
You can take care of your kid with high blood pressure by monitoring his diet components and plan ensuring that he is engaging in enough physical activity throughout the day. Not to forget the prescribed medications. It is primarily by controlling all the lifestyle issues that hypertension and other risk diseases of the heart and kidneys can be effectively prevented and cured.