Scientists Link Eye Health to Hypertension and Vice Versa Among Young Children

Scientists have recently made a connection between the eye health of young children and the implications of developing high blood pressure later on. They found the reversal to be true as well, how children with high blood pressure are likely to develop eye problems during early childhood.

The new study is published in the American Heart Association journal explained how hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the main risk factor leading to cardiovascular disease (CVD) which can be traced as early as childhood. Previous studies had already begun analyzing blood vessels from children's retina, which can have biomarkers of predicting CVD later in life.

Hypertension is a condition that is increasingly becoming common in young children. Another study by the Boston Children's Hospital concluded from a group of 15,000 adolescents that nearly one in five had high blood pressure. Many children remain undiagnosed for hypertension because it is difficult to measure in infants and young children.

Hypertension in Children

Although it is less likely for these young children to suffer from strokes and heart attacks, the structures of their blood vessels and hearts are still greatly affected as they grow older. The biggest impact the condition has eventual damage to organs such as kidney damage or lack of blood flow to other organs.
Several factors lead to children being hypertensive at a young age, usually involving genetic factors.

Having a family history of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, exposure to second-hand smoke, and obesity are some of the risk factors for primary hypertension. Medical experts believe that adolescent hypertension is closely related to the obesity epidemic as well.

Secondary hypertension occurs when it is caused by other conditions such as chronic kidney disease, sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, and heart problems. 80% of these children usually have kidney disease or abnormalities in their blood vessels.

Eye Health and High Blood Pressure

Henner Hanssen from the University of Basel, Switzerland said, 'Primary prevention strategies are needed to focus on screening retinal microvascular health and blood pressure in young children in order to identify those at increased risk of developing hypertension. The earlier we can provide treatment and implement lifestyle changes to reduce hypertension, the greater the benefit for these children.'

The team's research began in 2014 (baseline measurements) with 262 children between six and eight years old from 26 schools across Basel. Their blood pressure and retinal arterial were measured during that year and again in 2018 within the American Academy of Pediatrics' blood pressure guidelines.

Results showed that children with narrower retinal vessel diameters in 2014 developed higher blood pressure four years later compared to the other participants. The children who initially had higher blood pressure at baseline had significantly narrower arteriolar diameters, or small blood vessels, by 2018.

'Early childhood assessments of retinal microvascular health and blood pressure monitoring can improve cardiovascular risk classification. Timely primary prevention strategies for children at risk of developing hypertension could potentially counteract its growing burden among both children and adults,' said Hanssen. The most common treatment to prevent hypertension from getting worse at a young age is proper diet and exercise, and medication for those with severe high blood pressure.