Even weight at high end of normal ups children’s risk for hypertension

Key takeaways:

• The risk for developing hypertension in 5 years was 26% higher for children at the high end of average weight range, compared with peers in the medium range.
• Every BMI unit gained per year increases a child’s risk for hypertension by 4%.
• Hypertension rates were higher among boys and children on state-subsidized health plans.

A large-scale study found that the risk for developing hypertension within 5 years was higher even among children who were at the high end of normal weight, according to findings published in JAMA Network Open.

“Obesity has been discussed as the main driver for pediatric hypertension for several years,” Poornima Kunani, MD, a pediatrician and researcher at the Kaiser Permanente Manhattan Beach Medical Office and regional lead for pediatric weight management at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, told Healio.