Children With Hypertension Face Higher Long-term Risk of Stroke, Heart Attack

Children with high blood pressure are almost 4 times more likely to develop serious heart conditions, including stroke, heart failure, and heart attack, according to a new study that was presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting May 2-6 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Hypertension is a growing concern that impacts 1 in every 15 children globally, but it is unclear what happens to them in the long term. To help fill this knowledge gap, investigators compared 25,605 children diagnosed with hypertension from 1996 to 2021 in Ontario to peers without the condition.

During an average follow-up of 13 years, children with hypertension were at 2 to 4 times higher risk of experiencing heart attack, stroke, heart failure, or cardiac surgery compared with those without hypertension. The researchers suggested that improved blood pressure screening and treatment during childhood may reduce the risk of serious cardiovascular disease as an adult.

“Devoting more resources to pediatric blood pressure screening and control could lower the risks of long-term heart conditions in children with hypertension,” said Cal H. Robinson, MD, a pediatric nephrology fellow at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and presenting author, via a press release. “More awareness about the importance of regular screening and follow-up for pediatric hypertension may prevent children from developing significant adverse heart outcomes later in life.”