The increase in the incidence of hypertension in children and adolescents is influenced by several factors. Among them are the increasing incidence of obesity/overweight in children and changes in lifestyle, such as children being less active, spending too much time playing gadgets or watching television, consuming high-calorie and high-salt foods, as well as beverages containing alcohol and caffeine, smoking habits, mental stress, and lack of sleep.

The condition of blood pressure is influenced by several factors. Among them are age, gender, and body muscle size/mass. In normal conditions, as a child gets older, their blood pressure increases. The blood pressure of boys is higher compared to girls of the same age, and the more muscle mass a child has, the higher their blood pressure.

Different from adults who use one normal blood pressure limit for all ages, genders, and body sizes. In addition, blood pressure is also influenced by physical activity, stress (for example, a child crying), and other stimuli. Therefore, blood pressure measurement requires a calm child condition, conducted in a pleasant room for the child, after the child has rested for a while.

Reviewed by its causes, hypertension in children can be divided into two groups, namely hypertension caused by certain diseases and hypertension not caused by any disease, known as primary/essential hypertension.

In children and pre-teens, most cases of hypertension are caused by diseases. Such as kidney disease and kidney blood vessels are the most common causes, for example, kidney inflammation, chronic kidney infection, urinary flow obstruction, kidney stones, congenital abnormalities of the urinary tract, narrowing of the kidney blood vessels, and so on.

In newborns, hypertension can cause symptoms such as difficulty breathing, sweating, restlessness, pale/cyanosis, vomiting, and seizures. In older children, common complaints include fatigue, seizures, decreased consciousness, headaches, sudden blurred vision, nausea, nosebleeds, chest pain, inadequate weight gain, short stature, and muscle paralysis.

If teenagers or young children often experience these complaints, consult a doctor immediately. Do not delay, parents, especially if the family also has a history of high blood pressure. Source: Indonesian Pediatrician Association / IDAI.or.id