Q8) Would my child require to take medicine for high BP life long?
A8) Depending on the causes of hypertension and control of hypertension, the duration of drug treatment differs. Very few children with hypertension require life long treatment since Primary/Idiopathic/essential hypertension is rare in children. Familial hypertension can be recognized by BP recording of children whose parents suffer from high BP and non – pharmacologic therapy started at early stage.

Q9) Does any particular diet help in the treatment of high BP?
A9) If high BP is due to essential hypertension with obesity- low salt, low fat, high fiber diet with high potassium, calcium and magnesium may help to reduce BP and also reduce the dose of drugs used for high BP.

Q10) What is the chance of hypertension in other members of the family if my child has one?
A10) All children of hypertensive parents and all parents of hypertensive children should have BP recordings. Although mode of inheritance is not established, essential or primary hypertension is familial and environmental factors may play a role in developing high BP in susceptible individuals.



Last created on 09-05-2001
Last updated on 18-11-2006