The opinion that most diseases come to us with age has long since become obsolete. many diseases are "younger" and are now diagnosed in children. One of these problems is hypertension. It is believed that high blood pressure is, rather, the problem of adults. However, children also often encounter this disease, so it is necessary to notice this phenomenon in time, in order to timely conduct a course of treatment. So, the theme of our today's article is "High blood pressure in children." The level of blood pressure even in healthy people can vary under the influence of various factors. He is influenced by physical activity, mood, emotions, well-being, concomitant diseases and so on. But these are all temporary causes, and the pressure is normalized after the cessation of the triggering factors. But sometimes blood pressure changes for no apparent reason, and for a long time - a few months, and sometimes years. In this case, you should suspect hypertension (high blood pressure) or hypotension (low). In childhood, hypotension is much less common. So today we will talk about hypertension. Arterial hypertension is at one of the first positions in the list of noncommunicable diseases in the adult population, among which about a third has this problem. It has long been believed that the roots of this disease should be sought in childhood and adolescence, and that the prevention of hypertension during this period is much more effective than treating adults who have already encountered this problem. To begin with, find out which indicator can be considered the norm of blood pressure. In most cases, normal pressure is an individual indicator that is subject to fluctuations in one direction or another. For example, in adolescents, the pressure can range from 100-140 / 70-90 mm Hg. The same fluctuations occur in childhood, so individual indicators should be compared according to the tables, which indicate normal pressure for each age, because over the years the child's blood pressure rises. It should also be noted that the norms of pressure should be determined taking into account the nationality and climatic zone of residence. In most cases, the child does not feel any symptoms of the disease, sometimes it can complain of a headache, dizziness or nosebleeds. Therefore, children need to monitor blood pressure during the annual medical examination, starting from three years. It is very important to maintain normal pressure in the child, because this is the key to the proper development of the growing body. If there is a persistent pressure failure, then this can turn into an illness. In this case, treatment can not be avoided. Controlling high blood pressure in a child can be at home, by buying a good tonometer. Measure blood pressure should be in a relaxed state, lying or sitting. Emotional agitation or the transferred physical load can increase pressure indices. Therefore, the child must calm down and relax, take a comfortable position of the body. Each subsequent pressure measurement is preferably carried out in the same position as the previous one. What is dangerous hypertension? When blood pressure rises, changes occur in the body, primarily in the heart and blood vessels. If the heart works with the load, then gradually narrowing of the vessels. First, the muscles of the vessel walls contract, and then the walls are irreversibly thickened. This limits the flow of blood to the tissues, their nutrition is disturbed, and the constant constriction of the vessels provokes a further increase in pressure. To the heart to still supply the tissues with blood, it is necessary to strengthen their work, and eventually the heart muscle increases. Gradually it becomes the reason of weakening of cardiac activity, and then and heart failure. Children have primary and secondary hypertension. Primary has no apparent cause, and secondary can be provoked by kidney disease, endocrine system and some other diseases. The treatment of these two types of hypertension is different, so it is necessary to carefully examine a child with hypertension to accurately determine the causes of the disease. Primary hypertension is most often initial and reversible, it often happens in schoolchildren. Often this is simply an individual reaction to factors such as physical stress or psychoemotional agitation, which cause a slight increase in pressure in all people. With secondary hypertension, the underlying disease is treated, and then the pressure is normalized. In rare cases, if the pressure does not decrease, the doctor should prescribe antihypertensive drugs. Self-medication can not be done. What are the causes of hypertension and how to prevent it? Often the increased risk of hypertension in children is associated with overweight, not to mention the propensity to obesity. Not all fat people have increased blood pressure, but among those with hypertension, many are overweight. One should carefully approach the question of the presence of excess weight in adolescents, especially in boys, because weight gain can occur not at the expense of increasing fat mass, but due to the growth of muscle tissue. Another reason for the possible development of hypertension is heredity. If parents suffer from high blood pressure, the child's normal blood pressure is closer to the upper border more often than his peers. Such children, even after they have grown up, sometimes maintain high blood pressure. However, this is by no means an indicator of the doom of some children and adolescents, because knowing about the hereditary predisposition of their child, parents can do everything possible to neutralize the bad influence of genes. For example, it is necessary to build a child's life regime correctly, to control its educational and emotional load, to form in it a love for physical culture and sports, because sedentary lifestyle contributes to the development of hypertension. It is necessary to form habits of proper nutrition. For example, excessive consumption of table salt increases the risk of increasing blood pressure, so you need to teach your child to moderate consumption of salt from childhood, gradually reduce its amount in cooked foods. And in general, lead a healthy lifestyle and accustom a child to it, it will be a good prevention of hypertension.
