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Hypertension is usually an adult health problem. But with America’s current obesity epidemic, hypertension is on the rise in children and teens. See...
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With obesity still on the rise in our country conditions like diabetes hypertension.
And heart disease are not only haunting adults.
Nearly 5% of children and adolescents also have high blood pressure.
Seventeen year old Kelly Padilla has been struggling with her -- and blood pressure for a few years.
She recently enrolled in the pediatric hypertension and healthy heart program at -- fewer medical center to change your lifestyle.
I cut out chips I have been in light -- to read those and others.
Salty things or pretzels.
Or -- its pet -- without them from a energized and I think that that's slowly sluggish I was before.
This program is trying to educate young people liked Kelly to prepare them for a healthy adulthood.
We work as a multi disciplinary team with with fraud just cardiologists.
Generalists.
Doctors who -- and metabolic.
Experts and nutritionists and social workers and even an exercise physiologist.
The goal is to diagnose early those children and adolescents at risk.
For high blood pressure and try and work out a plan to treat the blood pressure without medication.
Each specialist on the team examines the at risk patient then he -- she wears a device for 24 hours that measures blood pressure.
Normal numbers depend on three factors gender age and height.
If -- child falls above the 95 percentile that is considered high blood pressure and could lead to heart disease.
It's that we're all very concerned about left ventricular I -- -- -- the heart muscle -- This is a major risk factor for cardiac dysfunction.
Pediatric patients aren't the only ones benefiting from this program.
A lot of what Kelly has learned is rubbing off on her family.
In my house eating more food and Nationalists and for snacks from some -- they have like Apple's PA's of the end.
And president.
In the the play is more questions that a lot of vegetables on rather then suddenly.
And instead of -- our friends and watching TV Kelly now goes for walks with her mother.
Doctor -- says Kelly is making great improvements.
For more information on this program go to -- kids dot -- I'm Julie Banderas Fox News.
