When is it time to check your child's blood pressure?

Think your child is too young to have his blood pressure checked? Think again. Hypertension can strike at any age, says pediatrician Tanya Remer Altmann, MD - and lowering a child's high blood pressure now can save his life later on.

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High blood pressure that starts in childhood and continues for years causes changes in blood vessel walls that can damage the kidneys, eyes, and other organs,

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and lead to heart failure or stroke. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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Hi, I'm Dr. Altmann. Has your child's blood pressure been checked yet? If not, get it done. Your child isn't too young to have

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his blood pressure monitored. While hypertension is considered an adult problem, it can happen at any age.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics agrees. High blood pressure that starts in childhood and continues for years causes changes in blood vessel walls

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that can damage the kidneys, eyes, and other organs, and lead to heart failure or stroke. An impressive study recently followed 19,000 Harvard

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students for decades. Those who entered college with high blood pressure were much more likely to have fatal heart problems later on.

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What causes high blood pressure in children? Childhood obesity tops the list, but about 5% of kids

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have elevated blood pressure for no clear reason. Regardless, it needs to be spotted and controlled with diet, exercise, and possibly medications,

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just the way it is in adults. Lowering blood pressure in young children and young adults could save their lives later on.