Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Unlike high blood pressure in adults, doctors can almost
always find the cause of hypertension in a child: kidney disease,
blocked blood vessels, hormone abnormalities, pinching of the
main blood vessels, or obesity. Many children with untreated
high blood pressure have evidence of heart damage called left
ventricular hypertrophy. The incidence of high blood pressure in
children is increasing, probably because of the increased
incidence of obesity (American Family Physician, Volume 73,
2006).
Whatever the cause, your child must learn how to control
weight by exercising more and taking in fewer calories by limiting
foods made with refined carbohydrates, saturated fats or partially
hydrogenated oils. He or she will certainly need medication, at
least until blood pressure is reduced or a cause is found. The
drugs with the fewest side effects are ACE-inhibitors and
angiotensin receptor blockers.
June 15, 2006