High blood pressure or hypertension is a state most often related with adults. However, children can have high blood pressure too, even during their infancy. Remember, high blood pressure in infants can be very fatal and can even lead to death. Make sure you take medical help immediately.
Reasons for High Blood pressure In Infants:
The main reason for high blood pressure in infants is premature birth or hereditary problems related to the kidney or the heart. Usually when kids are diagnosed with high blood pressure they either have a family history of this disease or are suffering from a poor lifestyle.
These infants may also suffer from issues such as aorta coarctation, which means that the main blood vessel that transports blood to the heart is tapered anywhere from upper to lower aorta. High blood pressure could also be a consequence of blood clotting in blood vessels of kidney.
Certain drugs can also be the culprit leading to high blood pressure in infants. Hard drugs such as- cocaine while in the womb, could cause this disease. Certain kinds of tumors, genetic tribulations or thyroid gland problems may also lead to hypertension.
Symptoms Of Hypertension In Infants:
Generally there are no real symptoms of high blood pressure in infants. However, there can be signs of the condition that could lead to hypertension. These comprise of abnormally fast breathing, pale skin, no weight gain, and repeated urinary tract infectivity.
Other common signs of high blood pressure include- irritation, nausea, problem in breathing and even fits are. To make certain whether a child has hypertension or not is by measuring his/her blood pressure levels.
How to treat high blood pressure in infants?
The solution is simple, treat the cause and you can easily treat the problem. Treatment of HBP in infants depends on the reason behind the condition. The solution may include: drug treatment, dialysis and in some cases- surgery. The recovery rate of an infant depends on the reason of HBP.
Parents should be very alert and should seek medical help immediately. If you notice that your infant is not putting on weight, has blue skin, getting urinary infection often, then these signs should alert you immediately.
How to prevent this condition?
Unfortunately there is no real way through which this situation can be averted. Nonetheless, certain precautionary measures can lessen the likelihood of hypertension in infants .For instance, do not take hard drugs while pregnant and if you have family history of hereditary heart problems, or kidney problems consult a doctor before getting pregnant.