Explosion of high blood pressure in children revealed: Rates have DOUBLED worldwide in just two decades amid global obesity crisis
Almost twice as many children now have high blood pressure than they did at the turn of the millennium, concerning research has suggested.More than one in 20 youngsters across the globe had the condition, known medically as hypertension in 2020 — nearly double the figure recorded in 2000. It means high blood pressure now affects 114 million children around the world, according to an international team of researchers, which included academics from the UK and China. Researchers blamed the global childhood obesity epidemic, with bulging waistlines and unhealthy diets causing a myriad of health problems including hypertension. Studies have also long suggested a strong relationship between excess weight and hypertension — obese men are more than twice as likely to develop high blood pressure and obese women are three times more likely.Experts today warned that the findings, based on data from 21 countries, 'should raise alarm bells' and health officials worldwide must improve prevention efforts. High blood pressure dramatically raises the risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and even dementia.But because it causes no symptoms, many cases go undiagnosed until serious damage is done. Caught early, these outcomes are preventable. More than one in 20 youngsters across the globe had the condition, known medically as hypertension in 2020 — nearly double the three per cent recorded in 2000
Latest NHS data also shows a quarter of young adults with hypertension aren't getting it under control, compared with one in seven older patients. Professor Igor Rudan, director of the Centre for Global Health Research at the University of Edinburgh and study co-author, said: 'The nearly twofold increase in childhood high blood pressure over 20 years should raise alarm bells for healthcare providers and caregivers.'But the good news is that we can take steps now, such as improving screening and prevention efforts, to help control high blood pressure in children and reduce the risks of additional health complications in the future.' In the study, researchers examined data on 443,000 children from 21 countries.More than 6.2 per cent of children under the age of 19 were believed to have high blood pressure in 2020, the academics said, up on 3.2 per cent in 2000. Writing in the journal Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, they also found an additional 8.2 per cent of children had prehypertension in 2020, meaning blood pressure levels were higher than normal but did not yet meet the criteria for hypertension.Obese children were nearly eight times more likely to develop high blood pressure.Almost 19 per cent of obese children had hypertension in 2020, compared to just 2.4 per cent of those within a healthy weight range, the researchers said.
Dr Peige Song, a public health researcher at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China and study co-author said the rise in high blood pressure cases was 'driven largely by lifestyle factors such as unhealthy diets, decreased physical activity, and the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity'.She added: 'This is likely due to obesity-associated complications, such as insulin resistance and vascular changes, which disrupt normal blood pressure regulation.'Parents play a pivotal role in preventing and managing high blood pressure in children.'Promoting healthy habits, such as a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains while minimising salt and sugar intake, can substantially reduce the risk of hypertension.'Encouraging regular physical activity and limiting sedentary behaviours, such as excessive screen time, are equally crucial.'For families with a history of hypertension, regular blood pressure monitoring for children is strongly recommended.'Early detection of elevated blood pressure, particularly through home monitoring, can help mitigate the risk of long-term complications.'The researchers also examined where blood pressure is taken – including in a doctor's office or in other situations, such as using blood pressure cuffs at home.When blood pressure was solely measured in a doctor's office it appeared cases were lower, but when measurements taken at home or in ambulances were included, the rates rose, researchers found.'Reliance solely on office blood pressure measurements may result in underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis,' Dr Song added.Measuring blood pressure produces two numbers: systolic – the pressure when the heart beats – and diastolic – the pressure between beats. For adults, anything above 140 (systolic) and 90 (diastolic) needs treating. In teenagers, anything greater than or equal to 130 and 80 is considered high. It comes as NHS data released last week found that a third of children in parts of England are now overweight or obese by the time they start reception. The World Health Organization (WHO) last year also revealed 37million children under the age of five are now overweight globally — four million more than at the turn of the century.Australia ranked second in the table of 198 countries, with 21.8 per cent of children there classified as overweight.Britain was 22nd (11.3 per cent), while the US claimed 52nd spot (7.9 per cent).The WHO has warned obesity globally is 'moving in the wrong direction' and shows 'no immediate sign of reversion'.Obesity doesn't just expand waistlines but health care costs, with the NHS spending an estimated £6.1billion annually on treating weight-related disease like diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
