High blood pressure increasing in N.L. children: doctor
Last Updated: Thursday, June 11, 2009 | 1:34 PM ET
CBC News
Dr. Christina Templeton said inactivity and poor food choices are contributing to high blood pressure in children as young as five. (CBC)A Newfoundland cardiologist is reporting a disturbing increase in the number of children with high blood pressure.
"We usually see about 40 to 50 kids per year with high blood pressure but this year we had almost 30 just in the first few months," said Janeway pediatric cardiologist Dr. Christina Templeton.
Doctors in the province say they are seeing children as young as five with hypertension. The Janeway children's hospital in St. John's has established a clinic to treat the disease, and Templeton believes the hospital is seeing a spike in new cases this year.
Templeton blames salty, high-fat food and inactivity.
"We have gotten ourselves to the point where we're very dependent to processed foods and convenience foods because they're fast," she said.
Anne Wareham, a St. John's psychologist who works with children who have high blood pressure, fears the disease is also associated with other social problems.
"I think just about every kid in our program has been bullied or has bullied others. Sometimes it goes from one to the other," said Wareham.
Both Templeton and Wareham say teaching children and families to develop healthy lifestyles could reverse the trend.
