They Say: Bones Can Predict High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is generally considered an adult disorder, and it’s more common among older adults than that.

But there are kids that have it, and a new study may point the way to identifying kids at risk of that and other cardiovascular problems.

A study done in Poland of 108 children found that children with high blood pressure had advanced maturation of their bones. While children without high blood pressure had bones that were within four months of their chronological age, children with it had bones that were an average of two years older than their chronological age.

Less than half of the kids who didn’t have high blood pressure showed advanced bone maturation, but nearly all of the kids with it also had “old bones.”

This isn’t the same as early onset of puberty — it shows that the actual process of the body maturing is accelerated. Researchers think that while it’s unlikely the process can be reversed, dietary modification and exercise can help blunt its effects.

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Tags: advanced bone maturation, high blood pressure in kids, hypertension, they say