Children Are Developing Heart Conditions Tied to Aging
“Being young” is not a typical risk factor that comes to mind when thinking about potentially dangerous heart conditions, nor do we expect the pediatrician to test for signs of such problems at an annual checkup. But in August, the American Academy of Pediatrics revised its guidelines for the screening, diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure in youth, the first time these standards have been updated since 2004. The new recommendations simplified the diagnostic procedures for pediatric and adolescent high blood pressure, made the definition for hypertension more similar to adult guidelines and changed the term “prehypertension” to “elevated blood pressure.”
The changes make it easier for doctors to spot a growing health threat that has remained hidden because it seems unbelievable: Children and adolescents are increasingly at risk for a heart condition that has always been tied to aging. “We think of someone with hypertension as being that 50-year-old man down the street, but it’s becoming more and more common even in
