Blood Pressure is very common problem, but in older people. Recently, the problem of high BP has started to plague young people as well. This is not uncommon, now even 7-8 year old children are suffering from high BP. A recent study has found that if blood pressure increases at the age of just seven, the risk of death due to heart disease increases later in life, i.e. before entering the age of fifty. This research was presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2025 and has also been published in the JAMA journal.
Research was the first to examine the effect of blood pressure at a young age (in children aged 7). Previous studies had found that high BP found in children aged 12 years increases the risk of death due to heart disease. However, now according to these new findings, this risk starts even earlier, i.e. from the age of seven. According to the researchers, this is a matter of greater concern for India. Because, according to studies here, the prevalence of high blood pressure in children is increasing rapidly.
A study conducted in 2021 found that about 7% of Indian children and adolescents suffer from high BP. This rate has increased rapidly since 2005. This risk was found to be higher especially in urban areas. This risk is also higher in obese children. The risk was found to be 29% in obese children, compared to 7% in normal weight children.
Cardiothoracic and cardiovascular surgery specialist Dr. Mukesh Goyal says, “BP testing in young children is mainly done in an ‘opportunistic’ manner. That is, BP is checked only if the children are obese, have a family history or other problems. Regular screening in this regard is still not prevalent in India.”
Reasons for children suffering from BP..
- Lack of pediatric BP cuffs required for young children
- Lack of proper training. Neglect resulting from this
- Less attention to blood pressure screening in children due to other priorities in primary healthcare
- Increased stress of studies
- Screen time i.e. more viewing of mobile, TV, computer
- Reduced physical activity
- Eating junk food, fast food, processed food, excess salt and sugar
- Lack of sleep and the stress that comes with it.
That is, although the need for blood pressure screening is recognized from childhood, its implementation is less in practice, and this increases the risk of future heart diseases.