Children with elevated BP

Around 5% of U.S. kids and adolescents have consistently high blood pressure and as many as 18% have elevated blood pressure readings, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association published in its journal, Hypertension. That’s a formula for a slew of health problems — today and tomorrow.

According to the AHA, studies are revealing that when youngsters have high blood pressure it causes them to develop stiffer blood vessels and enlarged hearts — as kids — and that leads to the risk of serious (and premature) cardiovascular disease as an adult.

Since it is likely that kids with elevated or high blood pressure will have high blood pressure in their 30s, too, a new study looking at its impact on young adults is troubling. It shows that high blood pressure at age 30 significantly increases their risk for dementia in their 70s.

Have your pediatrician check your children’s blood pressure: For kids over 13, a healthy blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg. For younger children, high blood pressure is diagnosed if, for either systolic or diastolic blood pressure, 95% of other kids of the same age, sex and height have a lower blood pressure.

What causes high blood pressure in kids? It’s often the result of a sedentary lifestyle, being overweight or obese, and eating highly processed and sugar-added, fatty foods. So you have a chance to eliminate those risk factors from your child’s life and create a brighter future, filled with the joy of physical activities, the pleasures of eating healthy foods, and a heart filled with love, not damage.

Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. His next book is “The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow.” Do you have a topic Dr. Mike should cover in a future column? If so, please email questions@ GreatAgeReboot.com.