It doesn't make sense that my kid would have hypertension. He is active, his BMI is 21, he eats relatively well. He had a physical in February and his blood pressure was normal and now it's high.

He did have a lot of sodium in his diet before this so we are taking measure to limit it as much as possible. I've also been taking him to work out with me, a few sets of weights and riding the spinning cycle.

Anyone know how long it takes to see results of a low sodium diet? The doctor wants to see him in 10 days and if it's still reading high he wants to start medication. I'd like to give the diet a chance to work first but also don't want to jeopardize his health by waiting.

Any advice for lowering blood pressure?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark123,

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
It doesn't make sense that my kid would have hypertension. He is active, his BMI is 21, he eats relatively well. He had a physical in February and his blood pressure was normal and now it's high.

He did have a lot of sodium in his diet before this so we are taking measure to limit it as much as possible. I've also been taking him to work out with me, a few sets of weights and riding the spinning cycle.

Anyone know how long it takes to see results of a low sodium diet? The doctor wants to see him in 10 days and if it's still reading high he wants to start medication. I'd like to give the diet a chance to work first but also don't want to jeopardize his health by waiting.

Any advice for lowering blood pressure?

Usually, not always, but usually, young folks with HTN (hypertension) have a correctable underlying internal cause, what we call secondary HTN. This is in contrast to older folks with HTN, where an internal cause often cannot be found, and we call this essential HTN. If the PCP has not done so, already, you must insist that he work your son up for secondary HTN, and not just blow him off as , "Eh, your son has HTN and let's start him on med". That would borderline on malpractice, imo.

Didn't they just come out with a shocking new study (which seems to happen every week) that challenges the long-term belief that a low-sodium diet can lower blood pressure? Yah, here it is Low-sodium diet might not lower blood pressure This came out only month-and-a-half ago.

Does he drink sufficient water?

COQ10 is supposed to help lower blood pressure

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
Usually, not always, but usually, young folks with HTN (hypertension) have a correctable underlying internal cause, what we call secondary HTN. This is in contrast to older folks with HTN, where an internal cause often cannot be found, and we call this essential HTN. If the PCP has not done so, already, you must insist that he work your son up for secondary HTN, and not just blow him off as , "Eh, your son has HTN and let's start him on med". That would borderline on malpractice, imo.

Blood test, urinalysis and a chest xray were prescribed and we got those on Saturday, no results reported yet. The blood test was glucose, BUN and another thing I can't remember at the moment (maybe cholesterol). His urine was strangely dark, nearly orange.

quote:

Originally posted by msfzoe:
Does he drink sufficient water?

He really doesn't. He is like me in that regard. I'm never thirsty. I have to make a conscious effort to hydrate.

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
Didn't they just come out with a shocking new study (which seems to happen every week) that challenges the long-term belief that a low-sodium diet can lower blood pressure? Yah, here it is Low-sodium diet might not lower blood pressure This came out only month-and-a-half ago.

The word "might" gives me pause though.

There is no harm in limiting sodium intake. I'm personally down 5 pounds in one week simply by watching the sodium amounts in what we eat.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
Usually, not always, but usually, young folks with HTN (hypertension) have a correctable underlying internal cause, what we call secondary HTN. This is in contrast to older folks with HTN, where an internal cause often cannot be found, and we call this essential HTN. If the PCP has not done so, already, you must insist that he work your son up for secondary HTN, and not just blow him off as , "Eh, your son has HTN and let's start him on med". That would borderline on malpractice, imo.

Blood test, urinalysis and a chest xray were prescribed and we got those on Saturday, no results reported yet. The blood test was glucose, BUN and another thing I can't remember at the moment (maybe cholesterol). His urine was strangely dark, nearly orange.

Two conditions immediately jump into my head, both kidney problems related to a recent Strep infection or a viral infection.
1- Post-Streptococcal glomerulonephritis, https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000503.htm
2- IgA Nephropathy, https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/iganeph

This would explain why he had normal BP in Feb, and now suddenly, his BP is high.

I saw this quite often, when I was doing my pediatric nephrology rotation during residency, and a few more cases in practice.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
Blood test, urinalysis and a chest xray were prescribed and we got those on Saturday, no results reported yet. The blood test was glucose, BUN and another thing I can't remember at the moment (maybe cholesterol). His urine was strangely dark, nearly orange.

Two conditions immediately jump into my head, both kidney problems related to a recent Strep infection or a viral infection.
1- Post-Streptococcal glomerulonephritis, https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000503.htm
2- IgA Nephropathy, https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/iganeph

This would explain why he had normal BP in Feb, and now suddenly, his BP is high.

I saw this quite often, when I was doing my pediatric nephrology rotation during residency, and a few more cases in practice.

Thanks for the info. I'll look into it.

Does he drink coffee? How about power drinks?

Bob

There was a spring flu going around. I had it in late May. That'll raise BP.

quote:

Originally posted by rbert0005:
Does he drink coffee? How about power drinks?

Bob

Only recently. He drinks about 1 oz of coffee with 10 oz of milk in it.

You've already had some excellent responses but one that really springs to mind is hte question about Power Drinks. IMO these types of beverage should really be banned. Because time and time again I've seen reports of fatalities due to the overuse of these drinks and teenagers today seem to regard these as simply soft drinks which they are NOT. I would urge you to have a talk with your son and see to that he understands that these super cafienated beverages ARE HARMFUL. If he wants to become more energetic then he needs to set up a routine of regular daily Cardio. I can assure you that doing so will put lots of Pep in his Step and he will sleep much better at night.

BTW, in 2011 my blood pressure tested at 160/100. When I saw my doctor last month it was 120/70. This is a result of a mild dosage of Lisinopril, quitting smoking, losing nearly 50 lbs. of fat, and LOTS of regular cardio. Yesterday was a Speed Day so I did 7.2 miles on an Elliptical in 59 minutes 46 seconds (was trying for 7.3/60 min. but didn't get there) with an average heart rate of 145. Today was a Rest Day so I only did 5.0 miles in 46:26 with an average heart rate of 132. Needless to say my fitness has improved a lot in 6 years.l

Point is that regular Cardio can help in reducing blood pressure. So can insuring an adequate intake of water, which is one result of regular exercise because you do get quite thirsty. As for reducing salt intake, that is something that I've never done. In part because I've always had a preference for a bit of salt in my foods and more recently because salt is essential if you are working up a good sweat on a daily basis. My doctor is also someone who doesn't believe a low salt diet really does anything to reduce blood pressure because he's had too many patients fail to get results from a low salt diet. He is a believer in meds where needed and regular exercise. In my case I still take the lisinopril because the combination of my exercising and meds has my blood pressure sitting right at Perfect, so why tinker with what works.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Scooter123,

He (and you, most likely) need to drink more WATER. Wee-wee should be a light straw color, according to my tinkle doctor. Kidney stones and gout are no bueno.

There are other possible answers.

First, the 120/80 nonsense is just that. It is the statistical mean of the resting blood pressure of a large population of moderately fit people. If you take the mean, there is about 68% of the population within one standard deviation above and one SD below the mean. At ± two SDs, you capture 95% of the population. But there are people with the correct, healthy blood pressure for their body who have a blood pressure +4 SDs above. I know one. As a teen they had her on all kinds of BP meds because her normal blood pressure was 190/120. She kept passing out because the drugs would lower her BP below the point her body needed to stay conscious. Finally, in her late teens a cardiologist broke from the traditional medicine view and said her BP needed to be that high. Last I knew she was hale and healthy 35 years later. These are people with essential or idiopathic hypertension.

Then there are people who suffer from White Coat Hypertension. The term white coat hypertension means you have high blood pressure readings (i.e. readings that are consistently 140/90mmHg or above) only when you are in a medical setting. Your blood pressure readings may be normal when they are taken at home. This was my problem, and cost me the first two career choices I had as a kid. At my absolute fittest, my blood pressure was always high. Finally a doc had me do a blood pressure record. At home and at work my BP was "normal." In his office, always high.

So don't freak out just yet. There are explanations that do not indicate a need for drugs or dietary or lifestyle changes.

Concerning power drinks. Marky does not use them and never has. I, on the other hand, do partake and my BP is 116/75.

Next time he is in to doctors office ask them to use a manual cuff not an automated one and ask them to check his BP in both arms. Any idea what the results of his BUN/Creatinine/GFR were? At his age I would be focusing on renal pathology. Any family history of diabetes?

As stated above white coat syndrome might play a part. I would get a good cuff on Amazon and check his BP at home multiple times a day. Keep a log of it.

quote:

Originally posted by Dusty78:
Next time he is in to doctors office ask them to use a manual cuff not an automated one and ask them to check his BP in both arms. Any idea what the results of his BUN/Creatinine/GFR were? At his age I would be focusing on renal pathology. Any family history of diabetes? He did try both arms and a second device.

As stated above white coat syndrome might play a part. I would get a good cuff on Amazon and check his BP at home multiple times a day. Keep a log of it.

Manual sphygmomanometer was the only one used at the PCP.

No diabetes in his family except for his uncle (his mom's half brother, deceased) and my dad but both were/are extremely obese.

low salt intake is great, Costco sells low sodium bacon,
but
every bit as important as low salt is high hydration.
2/3 of a gallon of distilled water per day.

the local hospital gift store sells these


for a couple of bucks
they are insulated /graduated mugs.

if he fills this up at midnight , 6 a.m.
and noon , besides what ever else he drinks during the day .

he'll have a good start on getting healthier.
and ! and! his kidneys will love him