What should be the blood pressure of a child?

Many parents are concerned about the rate of blood pressure in children.

Indeed, such an indicator is very important, because how the child's body develops directly depends on it. However, there is no single indicator that would indicate the normal state of the body. That is why it is very important to distinguish the main indicators of pressure by age.

What is BP?

By itself, the pressure ensures the normal passage of metabolic processes in the capillaries.

AD is usually divided into 2 main types:

• Systolic - top.
• Diastolic - lower.

During the day, blood pressure can vary significantly, because its level is influenced by a fairly large number of different factors.

The level of pressure is influenced by:

• The level of elasticity of the walls of blood vessels.
• heart rate.
• Viscosity of the blood.

In order to establish the most correct indicators of blood pressure, it is necessary to adhere to the basic measures of its measurement. For children, it is best to carry out such a procedure in the morning, after waking up.

The child should lie down, and his hand should be turned palm up. The cuff should be placed about 2 centimeters above the elbow, and it should be fixed so that a finger can easily pass through it.

The cuff must be inflated with air until the pulse stops being heard. After that, the valve is slightly opened and air is released. The first indicator on which a heartbeat is heard indicates the upper pressure, and the last one indicates the lower one.

All pressure indicators in a child must be carefully recorded so that the doctor, based on their analysis, can draw a conclusion about the state of the body and, if necessary, take therapeutic measures.

The norm of pressure for children under 1 year

A very large number of parents are concerned about the question of what blood pressure should be in newborns.

In a newborn, the norm is in the region of 70/45 units, however, by the end of the first month, the pressure increases to 80/50 units. This trend continues throughout the first year of a child's life. The level of blood pressure gradually increases and by the year, depending on the individual characteristics of the body, is 80/60. Such changes are due to the fact that as the child grows, vascular tone increases.

For parents, there is a special table that allows you to independently determine the rate of pressure for a child of a particular age. To determine the optimal level of blood pressure, the following formula is used: (76 + 2 n). Under n it is customary to understand the total number of months lived by the child.

However, if there is no time to calculate indicators, then you can use the following table:

However, if the child's pressure does not correspond to normal age indicators, this does not always indicate the development of pathology.

This is due to the fact that this indicator can be influenced by various factors, for example:

• Atmosphere pressure.
• Pain sensations.
• Cry.
• weather features.

In order for the indicators to be as accurate as possible, it is necessary:

• Use a special children's cuff for the procedure. For newborns, the width of the chamber should be 3 centimeters, and for older children 5.
• Measurements should be taken 3 times with an interval of 3-4 minutes. The average result is the most correct.
• The procedure must be carried out exclusively in the supine position.
• In newborns, during normal functioning of the cardiac system, pressure can be determined by probing.

The norm of pressure for children from 2 to 5 years

As already mentioned, the most active level of blood pressure increases during the first year of life. Upon reaching the age of one year, the increase in blood pressure becomes smooth. As a rule, at the age of 2 to 3 years, the norm is within 100/65 units.

The pressure is considered elevated provided that it raises the upper permissible limit and at the same time remains at this level for at least 3 weeks. Therefore, if the increase in pressure is one-time, do not worry about it.

For children of this age, normal blood pressure indicators are calculated by the formula:

• Upper pressure - (90 + 2n).
• Lower pressure - (60 + n).

For n it is customary to consider the number of full lived years. But the use of this formula allows you to get only average data, which may differ depending on the characteristics of the organism.

As for children aged 3 to 5 years, it is worth noting that the dynamics of increasing the level of blood pressure at this age slows down significantly.

The norm for this age group is 100/60 units.

However, when taking measurements, it must be taken into account that at different times of the day the indicators can differ greatly from each other. At night, pressure indicators are minimal, as a rule, such a phenomenon is observed from one in the morning to five in the morning.

The norm of pressure for children from 6 to 12 years

For the age group from 6 to 9 years, slight expansion of the upper and lower thresholds of blood pressure is typical. The main indications remain at the average level. A normal indicator for children in this age group is considered to be a pressure of 105/60 units.

However, quite often at this age, various deviations from the norm are recorded.

This is due to the fact that during this period the life of the child changes due to:

• Start of learning.
• Decreased physical activity.
• Influence of psychological factors.

For children aged 10 to 12 years, significant deviations from the norm of blood pressure are also characteristic. They are due to the onset of puberty. Especially such changes concern the female sex, since the period of puberty in girls begins much earlier. The norm of blood pressure for children at this age is 110/70 units. However, most experts consider it normal to increase the upper pressure indicator up to 120 units.

The norm of pressure for children 13-15 years old and average indicators

Most parents are concerned about the question of what blood pressure should be in adolescence.

In adolescence, changes in blood pressure levels are influenced by factors such as:

• stressful situations.
• Nervous tension.
• High loads.
• Prolonged sitting at the computer.

These factors can provoke both a significant increase and a significant decrease in blood pressure. Normal indicators for this age are 115/75 units. Most experts note that at this age there are quite strong pressure surges. This is due to the fact that children enter the time of active puberty.

This phenomenon may be accompanied by:

• Arrhythmia.
• Rapid heartbeat.
• Fainting.
• Headaches.
• Vertigo.

As the child grows, these negative phenomena disappear, however, if they are observed for quite a long time, it is best to consult a doctor for advice.

Table by age:

Thus, the optimal BP values ​​for each age group are quite different. The most active increase in indicators is observed in children under the age of 12 months. As the child grows, these indicators increase as planned. Sharp jumps can be observed during puberty, starting from 6 years. However, you should not worry if, during a one-time measurement, the child’s indicators turned out to be elevated, only a persistent increase in this parameter indicates problems. That is why, if high blood pressure lasts more than 3 weeks, you should seek the advice of a specialist.