At his most recent physical examination, my teenage son was diagnosed with hypertension due to high blood pressure. I’ve always thought of hypertension as a condition that affects adults — I had no idea that my son was susceptible to it! What types of health problems are associated with childhood hypertension, and how can I ensure that he will stay healthy?
Hypertension — also known as high blood pressure — typically occurs in adults, but the condition is unfortunately becoming more common among children, due to the increasing rates of childhood obesity and the positive correlation between obesity and high blood pressure. If a child’s hypertension goes undetected — or worse, has been detected, but is left untreated — damage to the heart, brain, kidneys, and eyes may result. The good news is that, thanks to your son’s early diagnosis, he should be able to lower his blood pressure without experiencing any severe medical complications.
First, it’s important to know whether your son has primary hypertension (also known as essential hypertension) or secondary hypertension. Primary hypertension is, by far, the more common type, especially among older children and teenagers. Development of primary hypertension has no specific medical cause; rather it is usually related to an unhealthy diet, inactive lifestyle, and heredity.
Secondary hypertension is high blood pressure that is symptomatic of another medical condition such as kidney disease, heart disease, or impaired functioning of the nervous or endocrine system. Secondary hypertension is usually identified when a physician performs additional tests after a patient’s high blood pressure has initially been diagnosed.
If your son has primary hypertension, modifications to his diet and a regular exercise routine may be enough to lower his blood pressure. Encourage your son to eat more fruits and vegetables and lower his salt intake. If your son is overweight, following a diet program that includes aerobic exercise for 30 minutes every day could help lower his blood pressure — although it’s important that he avoid incorporating weight lifting into his regimen until his blood pressure returns to normal levels.
Practicing relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga can be useful as well. If lifestyle changes do not improve your son’s condition, your doctor may prescribe blood pressure medication to help lower his blood pressure. And if your son has secondary hypertension, depending on the underlying condition or disease, his doctor may be able to incorporate medication or other therapies that lower blood pressure into his treatment regimen.
The fact that you are aware that your son has hypertension is already a big step in the right direction to getting his blood pressure back to a healthy level. Once you and your doctor have a treatment strategy in place, your son will be well on his way to heading off the harmful long-term effects of hypertension, ensuring that he’s not feeling the pressure later in life.
