Ahmedabad: Obese kids at higher risk of BP issues

Whenever parents of an obese child consulted Dr Hiren Patt, an endocrinologist associated with a city hospital, they often did so to seek help with the 'weight' issues of their wards.

Invariably, one in five such obese patients were found to suffer from hypertension — a disease not usually associated with children.

In the past one year alone, Narayana Multispecialty Hospital, where Dr Patt works, has seen over 145 cases of children developing health complications due to obesity. This means the hospital gets an average of 12 such cases a month. A considerable number of these complications, mostly in those between 10 to 16 years of age, include hypertension.

The doctor is not the only person to notice this trend. A study by Bhoomi Arora, assistant professor at SAL Institute of Pharmacy, and Snehal Patel, assistant professor at Institute of Pharmacy in Nirma University also found that obese and overweight children were more prone to hypertension.

The study conducted in 2017 covered 372 students from the city and from both government and private schools across various social strata.

The study titled 'Overweight and obesity in Ahmedabad school going children: Magnitude in relationship to hypertension and associated risk factors' was published in the Indian Journal of Pharmacy Practice (IJOPP),

It found high incidence of high blood pressure in children who were overweight and obese compared to those who were of a healthy weight. The study zeroed in on the lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating habits as some of the causes behind the trend.

Interestingly, until the revealed it, none of the parents of overweight and obese children in the survey were aware that their kids had elevated blood pressure levels.

"Neither the parents nor the students of obese and overweight children were aware of their BP levels. In fact, they were newly diagnosed cases of BP," said Arora.

Arora, during the research, not only found that the children regularly consumed junk food, but also that her advice against it fell on deaf ears.

"The children were introduced to the term overweight/ obese only after I explained it to them. Even after I adviced them against eating junk food and explained how it was the main cause of their obesity, they refused to stop. For many, it had become a habit," said Arora.

But what worries Arora and medical practitioners like Dr Patt is the complete lack of awareness about the adverse effects of childhood hypertension and the risk of cardiovascular disease at an early age.

"Even parents don't realise that being overweight and obese can lead to hypertension in kids. The awareness is too low. But the good thing is that in children, hypertension can be controlled very easily by a few lifestyle changes," said Dr Patt.

OTHER INTERESTING FINDS

• The study found that participation of overweight and obese children in indoor as well as outdoor games is less compared to others
   
• Irrespective of their weight, almost all children play games on mobile or computer and watch television every day
   
• Majority of overweight and obese kids are vegetarian. 
   
• Junk food eating habit is directly related to weight issues and obesity. 
   
• Children having a family history of diabetes, obesity, and hypertension are more likely to become obese or overweight and have a high chance suffering from diabetes and hypertension at a young age.

WHY BP ISSUES IN CHILDHOOD IS DANGEROUS

Doctors believe that elevated blood pressure at any age is a major cause of cardiovascular disease. Hypertension in childhood can often lead to hypertension as an adult and sometimes even cause health complications.

WEIGHT TROUBLE

• 5.6% of total surveyed children had both BP* high
   
• 18.8% of overweight children had BP reading of more than 140 (systolic BP)
   
• 27.2% of obese children had BP reading of more than 140 (systolic BP)
   
• 18.1% of obese kids played outdoor games
   
• 100% of obese kids played games on mobiles/ laptops
   
• 36.3% of obese kids had a chocolate/sweet everyday
   
• 39.5% of healthy kids also admitted to having chocolate/sweet everyday
   
• *BP can be systolic (more than 140) and diastolic (more than 90)

Source: Research report by Bhoomi Arora, Snehal Patel