Australian children are developing high blood pressure at alarming rates, with experts saying the condition could be setting kids up for heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease later in life.
Australia's first-ever clinical guidelines on childhood hypertension aim to address findings that some primary school children already have signs of developing heart damage.
The guidelines were developed by Edith Cowan University's (ECU) Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute (NHIR) and Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) in partnership with Hypertension Australia.
Experts are calling for blood pressure checks to become a routine part of childhood healthcare starting at the age of seven.
"We regularly see children as young as 7 and 8 years old with high blood pressure who already have organ damage, including thickening of the heart muscle," ECU's Dr Nicholas Larkins said.
"It's a silent disease. One in 11 Australian children now have high blood pressure, which is often symptom-free. It can damage young bodies for years before it's picked up."
MCRI's Associate Professor Jonathan Mynard said childhood hypertension had become a major emerging health threat.
"There is now strong evidence that high blood pressure in childhood is linked to serious health conditions such as heart attack and stroke later in life," he said.
"High blood pressure in children has rarely been on the radar of health professionals or the public. We hope the new guideline will bring this important issue into focus."
The guideline says while childhood obesity is the main driver of increasing rates of hypertension, other factors include:
Diets high in salt and processed food
Not enough exercise
Too much screen time
Family history of high blood pressure
Being born prematurely or small for age
Economic disadvantage
The researchers say the most important action for children with hypertension is lifestyle changes, which can reverse or delay the need for medical intervention.
"The most important interventions are often the simplest," Dr Larkins said.
"Improving diet, increasing physical activity, reducing salt intake, and helping families make sustainable lifestyle changes can make a real difference to blood pressure and long-term health outcomes."
The new guidelines are the first to provide a clear pathway for identifying and managing high blood pressure among Australian children and adolescents.
"Previous guidelines haven't covered children because the evidence linking blood pressure in childhood and later health conditions was less certain. But now we have multiple, large long-term studies demonstrating strong links to adverse health outcomes," Associate Professor Mynard said.
Hypertension Australia says the new guidelines address a long-standing gap in paediatric care.
"Many people still think of high blood pressure as something that only affects older adults, but that's clearly not the case," Hypertension Australia President, Professor Markus Schlaich said.
Dr Larkins said blood pressure should be part of routine health care for children, just like height, weight and vision checks.
"Our goal is to get the message out to parents to get their children checked so we can provide families with the support they need before high blood pressure causes lasting harm."
Published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health , the guidelines developed by BPOzKids Network and Hypertension Australia have been endorsed by the Heart Foundation.
