How to care for a child with high blood pressure

In order to care for a child with high blood pressure, it is important to assess blood pressure at least once a month at the pharmacy, during consultations with the pediatrician or at home, using a pressure device with the infant cuff.

Generally, children who are more likely to develop high blood pressure have sedentary habits and are overweight and, therefore, must undergo a dietary re-education accompanied by a nutritionist and practice some physical exercise, such as swimming, for example.

Normally, symptoms of high blood pressure in children are rare, with constant headache, blurred vision or dizziness only appear in more advanced cases. Therefore, parents should assess the child's blood pressure in order to keep it below the maximum recommended values for each age, as shown in some examples in the table:

Age	Boy height	Blood pressure boy	Height girl	Blood pressure girl
3 years	95 cm	105/61 mmHg	93 cm	103/62 mmHg
5 years	108 cm	108/67 mmHg	107 cm	106/67 mmHg
10 years	137 cm	115/75 mmHg	137 cm	115/74 mmHg
12 years	148 cm	119/77 mmHg	150 cm	119/76 mmHg
15 years	169 cm	127/79 mmHg	162 cm	124/79 mmHg

In the child, each age has a different value for ideal blood pressure and the pediatrician has more complete tables, so it is recommended to have regular consultations, especially if the child is overweight for their age or complains about any of the symptoms related to high blood pressure.

Find out if your child is within the ideal weight at: How to calculate child BMI.

What to do to control high blood pressure in children

To control high blood pressure in children, parents should encourage a balanced diet, so that the child has an appropriate weight for their age and height. So it is important:

Remove the salt shaker from the table and decrease the amount of salt in the meals, replacing it with aromatic herbs, such as pepper, parsley, oregano, basil or thyme, for example; Avoid offering fried foods, soft drinks or processed foods, such as canned or sausages; Substitute treats, cakes and other types of sweets by seasonal fruit or fruit salad.

In addition to feeding for high blood pressure, the practice of regular physical exercise, such as cycling, hiking or swimming, is part of the treatment to control blood pressure in children, encouraging them to participate in activities that they enjoy and preventing them from getting too much. time on the computer or playing video games

How to treat blood pressure in children

Medicines to treat high blood pressure in children, such as Furosemide or Hydrochlorothiazide, for example, should only be used with a medical prescription, which usually happens when the pressure does not regulate after three months of care with food and exercise.

However, a balanced diet and regular physical activity should be maintained even after achieving the desired results because it is related to good physical and mental development.