NEW DELHI, Aug 5:
Regular medical examination of children must include the measurement of blood pressure as it has been found to be a major risk factor for heart disease in adulthood, a study conducted by doctors in the Armed Forces has said.
As per the study published in the Medical Journal of Armed Forces of India, there is enough evidence to suggest that the roots of essential hypertension and heart diseases in adults extend to high blood pressure in childhood.
That is why the American Heart Association recommends that all children aged three years and older should have yearly blood pressure measurements, it said.
The annual school health medical checkup must include BP measurement, which can improve healthcare of children, it suggested.
The study was conducted amongst 522 children of Government primary and private secondary schools in Maharashtra to determine the prevalence of hypertension in children.
The subjects whose blood pressure was measured belonged to the the age group of 6–15 years.
Prevalence of hypertension was found in 4.4 per cent of them. A considerable number of children were in the stage of pre-hypertension that could be controlled by regular screening, and lifestyle modifications.
“Whenever a child is examined, examination of pulse, heart rate is a regular practise. Very few conduct the BP test. It should also become a mandatory practise amongst physicians if we intend to stop the increasing incidences of cardiovascular diseases in the country,” a doctor who participated in the study said.
The researchers involved in the study included Major Diva Reddy, Lt Col A S Kushwaha, Col Atul Kotwal, scientist D R Basannar and Air Commodore Ajoy Mahen. (PTI)
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