One in five male adolescents suffers from high blood pressure

To mark World Hypertension Day on 17 May, MedUni Vienna is raising awareness about the growing number of children and adolescents with high blood pressure. Unhealthy levels are increasing globally, especially during puberty, with boys affected three to four times more frequently than girls: around 20% of male adolescents have elevated blood pressure. Main causes of primary hypertension (= hypertension not triggered by another disease) in young people are obesity and lack of exercise, but increasingly also chronic psychological stress. Based on scientific data, a main reason for the increasing health risk in young people is obesity: while primary hypertension is found in 1.4% of normal-weight adolescents and 7.1% of overweight adolescents, the percentage rises to 25% in obese adolescents. "Increased waist circumference presenting the abdominal fat in particular, is associated with high blood pressure and early onset of cardiovascular diseases," reports Susanne Greber-Platzer, Head of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at MedUni Vienna. Anxiety, pressure and stress Lack of exercise, in turn, leads to a threefold increase in the risk of hypertension. Chronic exposure to anxiety, pressure and stress is also increasing in children and adolescents, with significant effects on their health and blood pressure.