Bengaluru: Hypertension is no longer a disease ailing the old. Children as young as six-week-old are being affected by the medical condition in the state. A screening conducted by state health department in 2024-25 found around 7.2 lakh children to be suffering from high blood pressure.Health department conducts regular screenings of children aged 6 weeks to 18 years in anganwadi centres, govt schools and govt-aided schools under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) every year. In 2024-25. they screened 1.23 crore children for 40 conditions. They were tested for hypertension for the first time. Diagnosed children are referred to nearby primary health centres (PHC) or empanelled hospitals where they are prescribed medicines and given suggestions to make lifestyle changes.At a discussion held on burden of hypertension in Karnataka on Wednesday, experts from medical field stressed the need to screen and treat children for hypertension amid growing concerns. The discussion was facilitated by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, and Institute for Policy Research.“We are working with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to get authentic data about childhood hypertension as we have noticed a rise in cases that are coming to physicians. It is evident that childhood hypertension is a hidden epidemic right now across India, and it has prompted us to understand the correct figures and its effects,” said Dr Pradeep Agarwal, additional professor, AIIMS Rishikesh.He added that increased intake of salt, sugar and ultra-processed food, along with a sedentary lifestyle, is leading to obesity as the contributors to development of childhood hypertension.“The earlier it is diagnosed, the better the chances of controlling it and ensuring that it does not lead to any kind of complications later. If there is obesity or a genetic predisposition, then they should be screened as a priority. On community level, govt can consider broadcasting public health announcements in between kids’ TV programmes to create awareness among them too,” Dr Pradeep said.The experts also said that Karnataka’s current door-to-door health screening programme, Gruha Arogya Yojana, should especially screen for hypertension in adolescents and youngsters.“The problem currently is that we are not diagnosing enough people. We are only listing some subsets of people from a few health centres. Along with children, we also need to screen people in the age group of 18 to 30 for hypertension. While children get screened at some schools, students in universities mostly do not receive much medical attention. On state and national level, we need to cut down the screening age (for hypertension) from 30 years to 18 years,” said Dr Om Prakash Bera, regional adviser, Asia, for non-communicable diseases, Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI).Speaking about overall prevalence of hypertension in Karnataka, health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said, “It is important to see how we can overcome this problem of hypertension as it is the major cause for many non-communicable diseases. To create more awareness among children and prevent them from developing serious conditions, we are in talks with education department to include in syllabus lessons about impact of lifestyle and food habits on their health.” Box: How to control a ‘hidden epidemic’ Risk factorsObesity or overweightGenetic predispositionHormonal variationsSedentary lifestyleHow to prevent hypertension among childrenAvoid excess intake of salt and sugarAvoid ultra-processed foodsEngage in outdoor activitiesAvoid excessive academic stressCreate awareness on a community levelConduct regular screeningSource: Health Dept
