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eWellness: Heart disease begin in childhood

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Dr KK Aggarwal    14 November 2018

All heart diseases begin in childhood and, therefore, preventive measures need to be started at that age. Two major problems of childhood are pre–hypertension and obesity and if they can be tackled well in time, future heart diseases can be prevented. Pre–hypertension is a blood pressure of more than 120/80 and lower than 140/90 mmHg. The Bogalusa Heart Study was the first study to give a message that coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, hypertension and heart disease all begin in childhood. It was the longest and most detailed study of a biracial population of children and young adults in the world. In the study, 27% of young adults were found to have pre–hypertension, while only 13% had true high blood pressure.

School health programmes in India must focus on checking the blood pressure of children and also regarding their obesity status. Both can be controlled by promoting regular exercise and proper diet. A diet high in trans fats and refined carbohydrates like refined flour, sugar and rice promote both obesity and pre–hypertension.

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