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What Causes Hypertension In A Teenager?

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Posted on Sat, 8 Apr 2017
Question: My nephew is 17 years old. He is 184cm, 88 kg he is is the high school last year with lot of effort and stress.
Upon complaining from a repeated headache we measured his BP to find it in the range of 140-160/90-105
The doctor requested complete analyses and I attach their results hereto. They look normal.
What could be the reason for such hypertension, noting that he passed through a similar short incident when he was 11 years old.. but then he also had high sugar results in the blood.... by then he was overweight and all symptoms vanished over a couple of weeks by a diet system.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (2 hours later)
Brief Answer:
everything is normal

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

all the tests are normal. The basics for the investigation of high blood pressure would have included the electrolytes as well to try to find evidence for various hormonal disorders. The first thing to do in such cases is to document hypertension. One single measurement is not enough. Many measurements have to be taken with special concern for the right technique. In any case at least 2-3 measurements should be taken each time and the lowest values should be recorded.

If hypertension is adequately documented then checking for causes that affect the young age might be necessary. Such disorders include renovascular disorders (renal artery lumen narrowing), renal disorders (glomerulonephritis) and hormonal disorders (like Conn's or Cushing's syndrome).

Less common causes may include central nervous system disorders, etc and even no identifiable disorder (idiopathic hypertension).

Psychological stress does raise the blood pressure in normal individuals (and even more in patients with hypertension) so measurements should only be taken when an individual is calm and sitting for 5-10 minutes.

Loosing weight helps with hypertension and is good for his health in general.

I hope you find my comments helpful!
Kind Regards!
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis

Internal Medicine Specialist

Practicing since :1999

Answered : 3814 Questions

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What Causes Hypertension In A Teenager?

Brief Answer: everything is normal Detailed Answer: Hello, all the tests are normal. The basics for the investigation of high blood pressure would have included the electrolytes as well to try to find evidence for various hormonal disorders. The first thing to do in such cases is to document hypertension. One single measurement is not enough. Many measurements have to be taken with special concern for the right technique. In any case at least 2-3 measurements should be taken each time and the lowest values should be recorded. If hypertension is adequately documented then checking for causes that affect the young age might be necessary. Such disorders include renovascular disorders (renal artery lumen narrowing), renal disorders (glomerulonephritis) and hormonal disorders (like Conn's or Cushing's syndrome). Less common causes may include central nervous system disorders, etc and even no identifiable disorder (idiopathic hypertension). Psychological stress does raise the blood pressure in normal individuals (and even more in patients with hypertension) so measurements should only be taken when an individual is calm and sitting for 5-10 minutes. Loosing weight helps with hypertension and is good for his health in general. I hope you find my comments helpful! Kind Regards!