MELBOURNE, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Australia has issued its first national guidelines to identify and manage high blood pressure in children, aiming to curb growing rates of future heart disease, kidney failure and organ damage.
There is strong evidence that blood pressure in childhood is linked to serious health conditions such as heart attacks and strokes later in life, Australia's Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) Associate Professor Jonathan Mynard said in a statement on Thursday.
"Early identification of risk factors provides an opportunity to alter adverse health trajectories and improve long-term outcomes," Mynard, the guidelines' senior author, was quoted as saying.
Created by the MCRI, Edith Cowan University and other Australian institutions, the guidelines address a longstanding gap in pediatric care, the statement said.
Globally, high blood pressure affects about one in seven children and adolescents, with higher rates seen alongside rising childhood obesity and among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, it said.
Mynard said childhood blood pressure has long been overlooked because evidence of its long-term impact was limited, but new large studies now show strong links to serious health problems in later life.
The guideline recommendations call for routine blood pressure checks at ages 7-9 and 13-15, with additional checks for at-risk children over age 3. They also emphasize collecting detailed medical and family histories, and using lifestyle interventions such as nutrition, physical activity, alongside medication where needed.
The guidelines, published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, have been adapted from U.S. recommendations but tailored to Australian conditions, including rural and remote healthcare access. ■
