There is no "ideal" blood pressure reading. However, there is a range of "normal" blood pressure readings. Generally, a reading that is less than 120 over 80 indicates that you don't need to worry. If either or both numbers are equal to or greater than 120 over 80 for an extended period of time, you have high blood pressure, or hypertension.

Hypertension is dangerous because it causes the heart to work extra hard. This strain contributes to heart attacks and stroke. When the heart is forced to work extra hard for an extended period of time, it tends to enlarge. A slightly enlarged heart can function well, but a significantly enlarged heart cannot. High blood pressure also causes damage to the arteries, causing arterial disease.

Hypertension can be treated. Mild cases of hypertension can be treated through behavior modification like changing diet and increasing exercise. More severe cases of hypertension require medications like diuretics, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, and calcium channel blockers. Each type of chemical works differently in an attempt to bring blood pressure back into a normal range. For example, diuretics rid the body of excess fluids and salt while beta blockers reduce the heart rate and the heart's output of blood.

Please note that these are general statements about hypertension. For individualized information, it is essential that you consult with a medical professional.

High Blood Pressure Diagnosed

Your doctor will diagnose high blood pressure (HBP) using the results of blood pressure tests. These tests will be done several times to make sure the results are correct. If your numbers are high, your doctor may have you return for more tests to check your blood pressure over time.

If your blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg or higher over time, your doctor will likely diagnose you with HBP. If you have diabetes or chronic kidney disease, a blood pressure of 130/80 mmHg or higher is considered HBP.

The HBP ranges in children are different. (For more information, see below.)

How Is Blood Pressure Tested?

A blood pressure test is easy and painless. This test is done at a doctor's office or clinic.

To prepare for the test:

• Don't drink coffee or smoke cigarettes for 30 minutes prior to the test. These actions may cause a short-term rise in your blood pressure.
• Go to the bathroom before the test. Having a full bladder can change your blood pressure reading.
• Sit for 5 minutes before the test. Movement can cause short-term rises in blood pressure.

To measure your blood pressure, your doctor or nurse will use some type of a gauge, a stethoscope (or electronic sensor), and a blood pressure cuff.

Most often, you will sit or lie down with the cuff around your arm as your doctor or nurse checks your blood pressure. If he or she doesn't tell you what your blood pressure numbers are, you should ask.

Diagnosing High Blood Pressure in Children and Teens

Doctors measure blood pressure in children and teens the same way they do in adults. Your child should have routine blood pressure checks starting at 3 years of age.

Blood pressure normally rises with age and body size. Newborn babies often have very low blood pressure numbers, while older teens have numbers similar to adults.

The ranges for normal blood pressure and HBP are generally lower for youth than for adults. These ranges are based on the average blood pressure numbers for age, gender, and height.

To find out whether a child has HBP, a doctor will compare the child's blood pressure numbers to average numbers for his or her age, height, and gender.

Eye Care

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, early detection and treatment of many sight-threatening diseases may prevent visual loss.

When it comes to children, the most important preventive steps are routine eye examinations, visual screening tests, and preventing eye trauma.
Newborns are examined in the nursery for eye infections and eye disorders. Children should receive their first comprehensive eye examination by about age three, unless a specific condition or history of family childhood vision problems warrants an earlier examination.
Eye trauma is an important cause of vision loss in children. Eye trauma refers to any injury to the eye. The National Society to Prevent Blindness states that about one-third of preventable eye loss in children under 10 years of age is from trauma to the eye. As a parent, you can help your child avoid eye trauma with the proper use of safety equipment during sports and recreational activities.

Digestive and Liver Disorders

Digestive disorders affecting infants and children range from simple problems that most children experience, such as vomiting or diarrhea, to more serious problems such as the birth defect tracheoesophageal fistula or illnesses such as appendicitis.
Digestive and liver disorders can have significant effects on the health of a child. A healthy digestive system processes the foods and liquids that we eat, replenishing vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats that are vital for the body to function properly.

Occasional vomiting or diarrhea may lead to dehydration. However, long-term problems with the digestive system or liver can deplete these important nutrients, causing malnutrition that affects a child's physical and mental growth and development.

Some digestive disorders, such as vomiting or diarrhea, may be effectively treated by your child's physician. Other times, your child's physician may refer you to a physician who specializes in children's digestive and liver disorders. This specialist is known as a pediatric gastroenterologist.

Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology

Allergy and asthma are among the most common heath problems, with more than 50 million people afflicted with asthma, seasonal hay fever, or other allergy-related conditions each year.
Allergies can affect anyone. Generally, allergies are more common in children, however, a first-time occurrence can happen at any age, or recur after many years of remission.
There is a tendency for allergies to occur in families, although the exact genetic factors that cause it are not yet understood.

Food allergies are seen in 8 percent of children under age six.

According to the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America, if only one parent has allergies, chances are one in three that each child will have an allergy. If both parents have allergies, it is much more likely (seven in 10) that their children will have allergies.

According to the latest available statistics from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, allergic problems in the US are the sixth leading common cause of chronic disease.

About 20.3 million people in the US have been diagnosed with asthma, with at least 6.3 million of them children under the age of 18.

Asthma is the third ranking cause of childhood hospitalizations under the age of 15.