High Blood Pressure in Kids?
What a frightening world we live in. Imagine this, kids on the playground talking about high blood pressure and cholesterol. It might not be that far off. Lindsey Tanner of the Associated Press reports that over 1 million young kids in the United States have undiagnosed high blood pressure:
Roughly 2 million U.S. youngsters have been estimated to have high blood pressure; the study suggests that three-quarters of them have it but don't know it. The numbers are driven at least partly by rising rates of obesity, which is strongly linked with high blood pressure.I guess we shouldn't be surprised when heart disease starts young.
Untreated high blood pressure can cause health problems in adults, including heart disease, strokes, artery damage and kidney disease, problems that usually take years to develop. Its effects in children are less certain, although there is some evidence that it might contribute to early artery and heart damage in young patients, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
