Around 5% of American children and adolescents have consistently high blood pressure, and as many as 18% have presented elevated blood pressure readings, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) published in its journal, Hypertension.

That's a formula for a whole slew of health problems, both today and tomorrow.

According to the AHA, studies are revealing that when youngsters have high blood pressure, it causes them to develop stiffer blood vessels and enlarged hearts, as kids. That increases the risk of serious (and premature) cardiovascular disease as an adult. 

It’s likely that kids with elevated or high blood pressure will have high blood pressure in their 30s too, and a new study looking at its impact on young adults is troubling. It shows that high blood pressure at age 30 significantly increases a person’s risk of dementia in the 70s.

Have your pediatrician check your children's blood pressure. For kids over 13, a healthy blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg. For younger children, high blood pressure is diagnosed if either the systolic or diastolic number is higher than 95% of other kids of the same age, sex, and height.

What causes high blood pressure in kids?

It's often the result of a sedentary lifestyle, being overweight or obese, and eating highly processed and sugar-added, fatty foods.

You have a chance to eliminate those risk factors from your child's life and create a brighter future, filled with the joy of physical activities, the pleasures of eating healthy foods, and a heart filled with love, not damage.