A new long-term study shows that children with high blood pressure at just 7 years old may be at a greater risk of dying from heart disease by their mid-50s.
The findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2025 and published in the journal JAMA.
Researchers tracked about 38,000 children who had their blood pressure checked at age 7 as part of the Collaborative Perinatal Project (CPP), one of the largest studies in the U.S. to examine how early life health affects long-term outcomes.
The children were followed for several decades, and their health data was compared to national death records up to the year 2016.
Dr. Alexa Freedman from Northwestern University, the study’s lead author, said the results were surprising and show just how important it is to monitor blood pressure even at a young age.
“Children with elevated or high blood pressure had a 40% to 50% higher chance of dying from heart-related diseases as adults,” she said.
Previous studies had already shown that teens with high blood pressure were at higher risk later in life, but this study is the first to show the effects beginning as early as age 7.
The researchers looked at both systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure. They found that the risk was highest for children whose readings were in the top 10% for their age, sex, and height.
Out of more than 38,000 participants, 2,837 had died by 2016, including 504 from cardiovascular causes. Children with blood pressure at or above the 90th percentile had a significantly higher risk of dying early from heart disease.
Even kids whose blood pressure was slightly above average—but still in the “normal” range—had a higher risk (13% higher for systolic and 18% higher for diastolic pressure).
The researchers also analyzed 150 sibling groups and found that the sibling with the higher blood pressure at age 7 had a higher risk of cardiovascular death, even when raised in the same environment. This supports the idea that blood pressure itself, not just family background or lifestyle, plays a key role in future heart health.
Dr. Bonita Falkner, an American Heart Association expert not involved in the study, said this research supports the importance of blood pressure checks starting early in life. Pediatric guidelines already recommend screening for high blood pressure starting at age 3.
Still, the study has limitations. It only used one blood pressure measurement taken at age 7, which may not capture changes over time.
Also, most of the participants were either Black or white and were born in the 1960s, so results might not fully reflect children today from more diverse backgrounds.
Even so, the message is clear: childhood blood pressure matters. Parents and doctors should pay attention to blood pressure readings at annual checkups and take steps to support heart health from a young age.
The study is published in JAMA.
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