Babies get hypertension

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Pediatricians say even babies and children can suffer from hypertension.

"Hypertension can be inherited from parents with the same problem and therefore must be effectively controlled early on to prevent it from happening in adult life," Dr. Rusdidias told Antara Wednesday.

He cited a 15-year study on 1,505 children by researchers at Tulane University's National Center for Cardiovascular Health, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, which showed hypertension in children could be prevented from developing in adulthood.

Rusdidias, professor of the medical department of the North Sumatra University in Medan, said the rate of the condition in children was about five percent and was not as prevalent as in adults, especially when age and gender were considered.

He quoted from a 1984 study on hypertension in Medan that showed boys from three to seven comprised 2.5 percent while girls comprised 2.2 percent of all cases of hypertension. (01)