Children, even very young babies, can have high blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends that all children have yearly blood pressure measurements. Early detection of high blood pressure will improve the health care of children.

Some diseases — usually heart or kidney disease — can cause high blood pressure in children. This is called secondary hypertension. If the disease is successfully treated, blood pressure usually returns to normal. Some medicines can cause high blood pressure, but when they're discontinued, blood pressure usually returns to normal.

At one time, doctors thought that most high blood pressure in children was secondary (that is, caused by other disease). Now they know this isn't so. Some children have higher blood pressures than others for unknown reasons. These children are said to have primary or essential hypertension.

Research scientists don't know why some children have higher blood pressure than others. Children who are overweight usually have higher blood pressure. Some children inherit the tendency toward higher blood pressure from one or both parents. High blood pressure is more frequent and more severe in families of African Americans than in whites. The reasons aren't fully understood.

A special diet and physical activity may be prescribed by the doctor to help lower high blood pressure in overweight children. The doctor may also prescribe medication if an appropriate diet and regular physical activity don't bring the high blood pressure under control.

Cigarette smoking isn't directly related to high blood pressure, but youngsters who smoke should stop for a variety of health reasons. Parents should set a good example by not smoking and educating their children about the hazards of smoking.

What are the classifications of high blood pressure in children?
In a recent report that analyzed the national childhood blood pressure data, the blood pressure percentiles were refined. Now they’re based not only on sex and age, but also on height to determine age-, sex- and height-specific systolic and diastolic blood pressure percentiles. This approach provides information that allows for consideration of different levels of growth in evaluating blood pressure. It also demonstrates the blood pressure standards that are based on sex, age and height, and allows a more precise classification of blood pressure according to body size. More importantly, the approach avoids misclassifying children at the extremes of normal growth.

This content is reviewed regularly. Last updated 07/27/07.