Hypertension in adolescents and young people, what are the causes and dangers?

Hypertension is widely known as a disease that attacks the elderly, because the risk of hypertension increases with age. However, in reality, cases of hypertension at a young age, including adolescents, are found increasingly all over the world, including Indonesia.

Based on the 2013 Basic Health Research data published by the Ministry of Health, there were 8.7 percent of people with hypertension aged 15-24 years. This figure shows an increase in the 2018 Basic Health Research, namely to 13.2 percent in 2018 with a narrower youth age range, namely between 18-24 years.

So, what exactly causes high blood pressure in young people and adolescents? What are the dangers in the future?

Causes and risk factors for hypertension in young and adolescents

Approximately 90-95% of cases of hypertension in the world are of the primary type of hypertension, which is a condition of high blood pressure with no clear cause. The rest are categorized as secondary hypertension, which is caused by certain medical conditions, such as impaired function of the kidneys, blood vessels, heart, or the endocrine system.

As with the causes of high blood pressure in general, hypertension in young people and adolescents falls into these two categories.

Young people and adolescents can develop hypertension if they have certain medical conditions, which are generally due to inherited / congenital kidney disease, aortic function / deformity, sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or thyroid problems (hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism). Taking certain drugs can also cause hypertension at a young age.

However, most cases of high blood pressure in young adolescents are classified as primary hypertension, which means that the cause is unknown. Although unknown, this condition is most likely influenced by heredity (genetic), an unhealthy lifestyle, or a combination of both.

1. Genetic factors

Genetics or heredity is an irreversible risk factor for hypertension. If you have hypertension, it is likely that this condition will run in your child. In young adolescents, this is also very possible, especially when accompanied by a bad lifestyle.

A literature review conducted by the University of Indonesia states that family history of hypertension is one of the dominant factors in cases of hypertension in adolescents. As for other dominant factors, namely obesity or obesity and poor sleep quality.

2. Obesity

Today, there are more young people and adolescents who are overweight than teenagers in the past generation. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that obesity cases have tripled since 1975. In children and adolescents aged 5-19 years, the number has increased from 4 percent in 1975 to 18% in 2016.

Obesity is one of the main causes of cases of high blood pressure or hypertension in young adolescents is increasing. An published international survey Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine reported that obesity is a major cause of hypertension, diabetes, and other diseases associated with damage to the vascular system, heart, and kidneys.

If a BMI score higher than 30 means you are in the "overweight (prone to obesity)" category, the higher your risk of hypertension.

3. Hormonal changes

Hormonal changes during puberty also play an important role in causing high blood pressure in young adolescents. The hormonal changes and growth phases that occur in adolescents can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure, especially when coupled with poor lifestyle factors. Even so, the effect of hormones on blood pressure is still not fully understood.

There are other risk factors that can also cause hypertension at a young age and adolescence, namely:

Lack of exercise.
Poor diet (excess sodium / salt intake).
Lack of sleep and stress.
Smoke.
Excessive alcohol consumption.

The dangers of hypertension in young people and adolescents

Having hypertension at a young age can increase the risk of health problems in the future. Blood pressure that is not well controlled, will tend to increase in old age. If this condition is allowed, hypertension can develop into more serious complications of hypertension.

Based on the studies conductedJournal of the American College of Cardioliogy,adolescents or young people who have blood pressure above normal are more likely to have heart problems later in life. These results were found after conducting a study of 2,500 men and women for 25 years.

From these studies it was found that, blood pressure that is higher or above normal and continues for more than 25 years can trigger changes in heart muscle function and increase the risk of heart disease.

Apart from heart disease, hypertension in young people and adolescents can also increase the risk of having a stroke. The study, presented at the International Stroke Conference in Honolulu, US, found that the risk of having a stroke increased significantly, when at age 20 you had high blood pressure or it was accompanied by other risk factors, such as diabetes.

This condition can increase the risk of stroke at the age of 30 or 40 years. In fact, the risk of stroke is greater if you have at least two risk factors.

Controlling blood pressure in young children

Hypertension is often underestimated by young adolescents because they think this disease will only occur in old people. Moreover, this condition generally does not cause symptoms of high blood pressure so it is often ignored.

Hypertension in young people and adolescents cannot be prevented and cured, especially if they have irreversible risk factors for hypertension. If this has happened, you may need to take high blood pressure medication from a doctor.

However, the risk of high blood complications can still be prevented by controlling blood pressure as early as possible. Even if adolescents have been diagnosed with prehypertension, preventing hypertension is still possible by controlling blood pressure.

To control blood pressure, adolescents and young people need routine blood pressure checks starting from the age of 20. With routine tension checks, young people can take proactive steps to prevent the risk of complications in the future.

In addition, a healthy lifestyle needs to be done. Start a hypertensive diet that is low in salt, because salt can cause hypertension, especially if consumed in excess. Do regular exercise, don't smoke, control stress, don't consume excessive alcohol, and maintain an ideal body weight.