BENGALURU: Bengaluru is witnessing an increase in high blood pressure among its children. Keeping this in mind, the World Hypertension League (WHL) is observing World Hypertension Day on May 17 to raise awareness
among people.
“Nowadays, we see at least three-five cases of high blood pressure among children per month. For instance, we recently came across a case of three adolescent kids, two boys aged 14, 15 and a 13-year-old girl. They weighed almost 20-25 kg more than the average weight and were really obese. This is one of the leading cause of hypertension among them,” Dr Parimala V Thirumalesh, lead senior consultant –
paediatrics and neonatology, Aster CMI Hospital,Bengaluru said.
The increasing high blood pressure among children indicates the danger of unhealthy food habits.“The causes of high blood pressure in kids can differ, depending on a child’s age. The younger the child, the more likely the high blood pressure is secondary to other illness. If no secondary cause is found, it is called essential hypertension, which has a strong association to lifestyle,”said Dr Ravi Kiran, senior consultant - paediatrics &Neonatalogy, Sakra World Hospital, Bengaluru.
The new generation is moving towards an unhealthy lifestyle, where they skip exercises, prefer junk food and lead a sedentary lifestyle by staying indoors. “These three adolescent kids, who had hypertension were snacking for three hours every day after school and were reluctant to participate in any physical activities as they preferred to spend more time on their gadgets,” Thirumalesh added.
The usual symptoms of high blood pressure in children are headache, seizure, vomiting, chest pain, fast or fluttering heartbeat, shortness of breath and anxiety. “It is important to treat high blood pressure at a younger age. If neglected, there can be chances of them suffering from early heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney disease,” Dr Ravishankar Marpalli, paediatrician, BR Life SSNMC Hospital,
Bengaluru, said.
Prior to starting the treatment, doctors mostly recommend exercise to kids and advise parents to reduce salt content in their diet.
Preetha Shankar (name changed), mother of a boy aged 11 who was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure,said, “We consulted the doctors who suggested we should enrol him in yoga classes, increase his vegetable intake and adopt a healthier lifestyle with extra curricular activities to help him stay healthy, both physically and mentally. I am happy that with such efforts, my son’s BP is completely
under control.”