Hyderabad: Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a condition often associated with adults above the age of 30. But with the growing number of cases among children and adolescents, health experts now warn that hypertension among youngsters is a ticking time bomb one that could easily carry on into adulthood and manifest into different cardiovascular diseases.
The World Health Organisation had earlier called hypertension a global public health issue. While obesity and diabetes are a health burden widely recognised in the country, hypertension is not yet being seen as equally harmful.
Doctors maintain that obesity and hypertension often go hand-in-hand, however, there is still no definitive correlation between the two conditions. Hypertension occurs chiefly due to a cumulative mixture of several environmental and genetic causes. Dr C. Venkat S. Ram, director, World Hypertension League, South Asia Region, said that hypertension among children is often overlooked, but is by no means, a small problem.
“Hypertension in children is presumed to be rare and thereby often missed. But it is affecting a growing number of children. One of the causes is the unprepared urbanisation in the country. Children don’t walk to school anymore. They don’t eat home food. Instead, they consume a lot of Indian fast food, which is salty,” Dr Ram explained.
Also, it is not just hypertension but even pre-hypertension that is a cause of severe concern. Pre-hypertension at a younger age can often result in full-blown hypertension in adulthood.
Studies have shown that nearly 40 to 45 per cent of adults, with hypertension, had incidences of abnormal systolic and diastolic blood pressure in their childhood.
“Definitely, there is an increase in hypertension among those between the ages of 18 to 24. Even younger children are being affected. Often, hypertension prior to the age of 18 is secondary. But hypertension at a young age usually carries on into adulthood, if not controlled,” Dr K. Seshi Kiran, general physician at Yashoda Hospital said.
Doctors credit lack of exercise, sitting for too long, smoking, drinking and junk food as being responsible for the condition. Stress too, doctors say, causes high blood pressure. Also, intense academic competition is resulting in stress amongst youngsters.
