Private MD News

Blood pressure testing may make young children healthier

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

Many American adults have problems from high blood pressure, but a new study suggests that doctors often miss the problem in children.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University found that 20 percent of children were not given blood pressure tests at all, and that doctors took no action for 87 percent of children who did show signs of high blood pressure.

The study's lead author, Tammy Brady, said that evaluating a child's blood pressure results can be a little more complicated than an adult's because they must be compared on a chart of children's age, weight, height and sex, and that children often present no symptoms of the problem.

"Nurses and doctors may be so falsely reassured by a child’s lack of symptoms and risk factors that they either miss milder elevations or may chalk them up to measurement error and never follow up on them," she said.

The American Heart Association says that even children as young as three-years-old can have high blood pressure, and that detecting these problems early can lead to better heart health throughout the child's life.