High blood pressure rates in children nearly doubled in 20 years, global review finds

The review of over 400,000 children in 21 countries suggested obesity was a ‘substantial driver’ of childhood hypertension. Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer

The rate of children and teenagers living with high blood pressure globally has nearly doubled because of a toxic combination of unhealthy diets, mass inactivity and soaring levels of obesity, according to the largest review of its kind.

Experts said 114 million children who have developed hypertension even before reaching adulthood were facing potentially deadly and lifelong harm, including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and a myriad of serious health complications.