Blood pressure of a child from 3 to 15 years old - norms

Blood pressure in children is somewhat different from adults. This is due to the fact that in babies the vessels are highly elastic, their lumen is larger, and, therefore, the blood pressure on the walls of the arteries is lower. The older the child becomes, the systolic and diastolic indicators increase. For five-year-old children, numbers in the range of 100-116 / 60-74 mm Hg are considered normal. Art. (shown in the table).

Normal performance

After birth, the normal pressure in the baby is considered to be within 60/40 mm Hg. Most of all, this indicator changes in the first twelve months of life. And upon reaching the year is 90/60 mm Hg. Art. As for the sex of the child, in the first five years it is the same for boys and girls, then for future men it becomes a little larger. Having reached 110-120 / 60-70 mm Hg. st, it remains at this level for a long time. In older years, blood pressure is higher in women than in men. The table shows the normal age indicators of pressure.

Reasons for change

Stably elevated or decreased blood pressure has long ceased to be a disease of older people. During the year, hypertension and hypotension "get younger". Today, it is not uncommon to see a mother with a small child at the therapist's office.

About 5% of all diseases associated with the cardiovascular system fall on arterial hypertension.

In adolescence, this problem is often dependent on hormonal changes, when the production of adrenaline and aldosterone increases. With high blood pressure, children may have pronounced emotional instability.

In the state of the child can be observed:

• headache;
• frequent irritability;
• unpleasant feeling;
• fast fatiguability;
• pain in the chest.

With such symptoms, after contacting the clinic and examination, tachycardia, murmurs, an accent of the second tone directly above the aortic vessel, and a resistant apex beat are almost always detected. And after measuring the pressure with a tonometer, the doctor states the excess of normal age indicators.

In young children, the symptoms of hypertension are ambiguous and are more often attributed to other ailments.

Almost always, this disease is detected by chance, during the treatment of another pathology. But there are also clear signs.

Acute manifestations of infantile hypertension include:

• heart failure;
• delayed physical development;
• vomiting;
• shortness of breath
• convulsions;
• high or low excitability.

In preschool age, secondary hypertension most often develops against the background of kidney disease. Stenosis of the renal vessels, hematoma after injury, diabetic glomerulosclerosis, compression of the renal artery due to the appearance of a tumor, inflammation, abnormalities in the development of organs, glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis, and postrenal disorders can lead to increased blood pressure.

Renovascular hypertension is diagnosed on the basis of consistently high pressure (mainly diastolic) and the body's resistance to drug treatment. Arterial hypertension of endocrine origin can occur with pheochromocytoma, Itsenko-Cushing's, Conn's, Barter's diseases, hyperthyroidism.

Hypertension of cardiovascular origin is determined by comparing the readings of the tonometer after measurement on the upper and lower extremities. In the first case, the parameters will be somewhat overestimated than required by the age of the child, in the second, they will be lowered. To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor prescribes sonography, dopplerography, based on the results of which he prescribes treatment. Also, hypertension in children can occur due to poisoning with substances such as mercury, thallium, arsenic. In this case, the diagnosis is confirmed by the results of urine and blood tests.

The reason may be:

• A tumor in the skull of a benign or malignant nature. In such cases, additional tissue appears, which increases intracranial pressure. Such symptoms lead to a change in the structure of the brain.
• Meningitis. This disease in any form significantly increases cranial pressure. The reason for this is a change in the fluidity of the cerebrospinal fluid.
• Encephalitis. This disease causes significant swelling of the brain, which leads to high pressure in the cranium.
• Hydrocephalus. As with meningitis, the flow along the CSF pathways and the structure of the cerebrospinal fluid itself change. The working functions of the cerebrospinal fluid continue in the same mode, and the outflow of production is slowed down, which increases the cranial pressure.

• Traumatic brain injury. Any of its types and complexity leads to the formation of additional tissues, and after this, the level of pressure in the cranium increases.

Almost any brain disease or injury leads to swelling. This is the main reason for the increase in cranial pressure.

Increased cranial pressure entails a rather serious pathology, which can lead to unpredictable consequences. In the event of the appearance of the first symptoms, it is necessary to determine its level and begin immediate treatment. Compared to the arterial, which can be normally measured at home, the intracranial is only examined in a medical center.

Hypotension (BP values ​​are constantly below the age norm) is also often observed in 5 year old children. But do not worry if a slight short-term decrease in the tonometer readings is detected. In healthy children, such processes are considered normal.

Clinical signs

Fluctuations in blood pressure in preschool age depend on such factors:

• change in the position of the child's body;
• daily biorhythm (most of all, the pressure drops before sunrise);
• after meal;
• if the baby is tired physically or mentally (observed after active games or activities);
• being in a stuffy room and so on.

An isolated decrease (physiological hypotension), which is not accompanied by a decrease in the child's activity and any complaints (the baby feels fine), may appear when the climate changes, when adapting to new conditions. This type of hypotension can be labile or transient.

The occurrence of primary hypotension in children depends on many reasons:

• genetic propensity;
• perinatal disease;
• infection;
• hypodynamia;
• mental fatigue;
• non-compliance with the daily regimen.

Clinical signs are variable and varied. Basically, the symptoms have a complex manifestation: cerebral, cardiovascular, general neurotic or gastrointestinal in nature.

Children with primary hypotension are mentally unstable. They are very touchy, tearful, get tired quickly, complain of general weakness, headache and heartache, their mood often changes. After long breaks between meals or after sleeping, the child may experience dizziness.

Signs of a cardiovascular disorder are justified by changes in cardiac output and arterial resistance of the peripheral system. In this case, there may be pain in the chest area, which is aching, sometimes cutting. Manifestations of cerebral etiology appear as a result of improper cerebral circulation, due to angiohypotonic, angiospastic syndromes, and obstructed blood outflow from the cranial cavity. With orthostatic primary hypotension, short-term syncope may occur.

Hypotension is most often the cause of a decrease in mental and physical activity in 5 year old children. Such a syndrome requires treatment, otherwise the development of hypotonic, hypertensive, coronary disease is possible in the future. In the event of hypotension due to the psychoneurological characteristics of the baby, regular monitoring by a pediatrician and consultation with a psychiatrist is required.

Measuring the pressure in a child

Today, there is a mechanical or electronic blood pressure monitor in almost every home. It is easy to use such devices. And, therefore, it will not be difficult to control blood pressure in a child.

In children 5 years old, this process has its own characteristics. The main thing with this procedure is the right choice of cuff.

If it is too large for a child's hand, the readings of the device will be incorrect. The cuff should cover at least 75% of the child's forearm. But since there are only devices intended for adults on sale, in order to regularly measure the pressure of the baby, the cuff will have to be modified independently.

Another problem that can arise when measuring a child's blood pressure is his restlessness. It is difficult for young children to explain the significance of the procedure. In this case, it is best to interest the child in the device itself: show what it is, tell how it works, follow the movement of the arrow. Or, for example, create a whole game, the purpose of which is to see the numbers on the pressure gauge, and for this you need to sit normally for a little while, not to move.

To correctly measure the pressure in a child, you will need:

• It is normal to put him on a chair and make him not move.
• Apply the cuff to the forearm in such a way that there is a distance between the material and the skin covering approximately the width of the finger.
• Place the sound-conducting part of the phonendoscope in the area of ​​the elbow bend, and insert the auditory part into the ears.
• Shut off the air outlet using the valve on the pear.
• By repeatedly pressing the rubber element, inflate the cuff until the arrow on the pressure gauge screen rises slightly above the expected values.

• Further, the valve on the pear is slowly unscrewed.
• You will need to carefully monitor the indicators of the device. The first sound manifestation will correspond to the work of the heart in the systolic period (upper pressure), the last - the functioning of the organ in the diastolic period (lower blood pressure).

Treatment of changes in blood pressure in a child of preschool age is determined individually, based on the causes of its occurrence. Medications, homeopathic remedies, vitamins, physiotherapy can be prescribed.