Research News:
Many kids unaware of blood pressure problems
A study says 1 million who have hypertension are not diagnosed because doctors assume it's an issue only for adult patients.
By Lindsey Tanner The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 08/21/2007 09:50:36 PM MDT
Chicago - More than 1 million U.S. youngsters have undiagnosed high blood pressure, leaving them at risk for developing organ damage down the road, a study suggests.
Calculating elevated blood pressure in children is trickier than in adults, and many doctors may not check kids' numbers because they assume hypertension is an adult problem.
But the study highlights that many children are affected, too, said lead author Dr. David Kaelber of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and Harvard Medical School. Roughly 2 million U.S. youngsters have been estimated to have high blood pressure; the study suggests that three-quarters of them have it but don't know it.
The numbers are driven at least partly by rising rates of obesity, which is strongly linked with high blood pressure.

The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of the American Medical Association.