A major global study has found that the number of children and teenagers with high blood pressure has nearly doubled between 2000 and 2020.
This alarming trend was reported in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal, and it now affects more than 114 million young people around the world.
In 2000, about 3 out of every 100 children had high blood pressure. By 2020, that number had grown to over 6 out of 100. One of the main reasons for this rise appears to be childhood obesity.
Nearly 19% of young people with obesity also had high blood pressure, compared to less than 3% of those at a healthy weight.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, means the heart has to work harder to pump blood. Over time, this can damage the heart, blood vessels, and organs like the kidneys and brain.
While it is often considered a problem for adults, this study shows that many children are now facing the same risks—much earlier in life.
The research was led by an international team and included data from 96 studies, with over 443,000 children and teens in 21 countries. Professor Igor Rudan from the University of Edinburgh said that this rise should be a warning sign for doctors and parents. “The good news,” he added, “is that we can take action now with better screening and prevention.”
One important finding was that how blood pressure is measured makes a big difference. If only in-office visits are used—meaning a child’s blood pressure is checked by a doctor during regular checkups—the estimated number of cases is about 4.3%. But when home or 24-hour blood pressure monitoring is included, the number jumps to nearly 6.7%.
This shows that many children with high blood pressure might be missed during routine doctor visits. Some kids may have “masked hypertension,” meaning their blood pressure seems normal at the doctor’s office but is high at other times.
This condition may affect more than 9% of children globally. On the other hand, about 5% of children may show high blood pressure only at the doctor’s office due to stress—known as “white-coat hypertension.”
Dr. Peige Song from Zhejiang University in China said these findings highlight how common childhood high blood pressure is, and how it’s probably more widespread than we thought. She emphasized the need for better ways to find and treat the problem early before it leads to serious health issues.
The study also found that an extra 8% of children have “prehypertension.” This means their blood pressure is higher than normal but not yet in the danger zone. Teenagers are especially at risk, with about 12% showing prehypertension, compared to 7% of younger children.
Blood pressure often goes up during early teenage years—especially around age 14 and more so in boys. Without proper care, many teens with prehypertension may go on to develop full hypertension.
Still, the study has some limits. Not all countries use the same tools or methods to measure blood pressure. Many of the studies included came from low- and middle-income countries, which may affect how well the results apply everywhere. Also, advanced blood pressure tests may not be available in many areas.
In a comment on the study, Dr. Rahul Chanchlani from McMaster University in Canada called for action. He said we need clear global guidelines, better tools for checking blood pressure outside clinics, and more education for doctors, families, and policymakers. He added, “Heart health problems don’t start in middle age. They start in childhood.”
This growing problem calls for a worldwide effort to catch and treat high blood pressure early in life. That means helping kids eat healthier, stay active, and get regular checkups. With better awareness and care, we can protect young hearts before it’s too late.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and natural coconut sugar could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies about How to eat your way to healthy blood pressure and results showing that Modified traditional Chinese cuisine can lower blood pressure.
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