August 21, 2007 (Insidermedicine) More and more children have high blood pressure, though the condition is rarely diagnosed, and experts say the condition goes hand in hand with the growing pediatric obesity epidemic.

This is what we know about high blood pressure:
•    A person is considered to have high blood pressure when the systolic blood pressure – or top measurement - is consistently 140mmHg or greater, and/or their diastolic blood pressure – or lower reading - is consistently 90mmHg or greater. For children, the criteria can vary with age, sex, and height
•    Most of the time there are no symptoms – it is sometimes called “the silent killer”
•    Untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and death

In the present study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers studied more than 14,000 children and teens over a seven-year period. They found that 4% of the children and teens had high blood pressure and yet only one in four of these cases were previously diagnosed. As well, 3% had pre-high blood pressure and only 11% of these had been previously diagnosed.

The experts say that if abnormal blood pressure isn’t identified early on, it may be years before it is detected and untreated high blood pressure can lead a variety of health problems including organ damage, heart attack, stroke, and premature death.

If you are a parent of an overweight child or if high blood pressure runs in your family, you should make sure your child is screened for high blood pressure at regular periods by your child's doctor.  If your child or teen is overweight, he or she should be encouraged to lose weight, exercise, and eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. If their are diagnosed with high blood pressure, medication may be the best option to lower the risk of complications later in life.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Maria Radina.