Each adult will answer the question of what should be normal blood pressure. And many will talk about how it often happens: lower or higher.
Children are another matter. Perhaps, only doctors know what pressure in adolescents is the norm and which is pathology. Most parents believe that children cannot have problems with pressure. But quite often it is precisely in adolescence that failures in the self-regulation of the body occur, including in the regulation of blood pressure. It can either rise too much or fall too much. If such changes last a month or longer, then in the first case they talk about hypertension, and in the second - about hypotension. Since in adolescents this condition is also called vegetative-vascular dystonia, the most accurate definition will be - vegetative-vascular dystonia of a hypertonic or hypotonic type.
When is the pressure normal?
As you know, the pressure level is indicated by two digits. For example - 120/70 mm. Hg. Art. This suggests that at the time of contraction of the ventricles of the heart, blood pressure reaches 120 mm. Hg. Art. and is called systolic, and at the time of a general pause - 70 mm. - and is called diastolic.
Which indicators are normal and which are not, depends on the person’s age.
In newborns, normal pressure is: 66/55 mm. Hg - in girls, 71/55 mm. Hg. Art. - in boys. For adults, such indicators are catastrophically low.
Up to seven years, pressure increases very slowly. After seven years, growth rates accelerate and pressure in adolescents is the norm, almost like in adults. By the age of 18, adult indicators are established.
Pressure may be within normal limits, but fluctuate depending on the individual characteristics of a person. So, normal blood pressure in adolescents can be from 100 to 140 mm. Hg - systolic, and from 70 to 90 mm. - diastolic. Individual indicators of young children must be compared with special tables to find out whether this is the norm or not.
All cells and tissues of the body need nutrients and oxygen. Their delivery is carried out by blood, which under pressure circulates through the vessels. If the pressure goes beyond the norm, then the transport of substances will be disrupted, which can lead to malfunctioning of various organs.
In order to prevent persistent disorders that cause hypertension or hypotension, it is necessary to determine what normal pressure a teenager is taking into account his personality. To do this, you need to measure blood pressure regularly.
How can pressure be measured?
A pressure measuring device (tonometer) can be purchased at pharmacies without problems. This earlier measurement process was only possible in a hospital.
But, despite the apparent ease, to determine what pressure in adolescents is the norm, and which is not, is not so simple. It is necessary that the child was in a calm state, which in itself is already problematic, because the teenager experiences excitement in anticipation of the results of an unusual procedure. Only the regularity of measurements can eliminate this unusual.
The measurement is carried out in a sitting or lying position. It is necessary to choose the right cuff size, the width of which should be no more than two-thirds of the length of the shoulder.
The whole principle of the tonometer’s operation is that with the help of the air pressure created in the cuff, the artery is pinched and the blood flow stops. Then the air is released and a knock appears when the pressure in the cuff decreases. It occurs due to the movement of blood through the vessel and corresponds to the upper indicator (systolic). The sound stops when the artery regains its lumen, silence corresponds to the lower indicator. Sounds are captured using a stethoscope. If a modern automatic blood pressure monitor is used, then all indicators are displayed immediately on the screen.
So, if you take children's health seriously, regularly take measurements and know what pressure in adolescents is the norm, then it will be easy to diagnose possible deviations.