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Pediatric Hypertension pp 755–766Cite as

Nonpharmacologic Treatment of Pediatric Hypertension

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Abstract

The treatment of blood pressure elevation once it is recognized is quite important. The first line of treatment for children with either elevated blood pressure or hypertension is nonpharmacologic treatment. In fact, a meaningful trial of nonpharmacologic approaches is always important before considering using medication.

Nonpharmacologic treatment largely focuses on weight management, changes in diet and increased physical activity. For children and adolescents who are overweight or obese, improvement in the body mass index (BMI) percentile can be effective in lowering blood pressure and may be the most important aspect of blood pressure management. Dietary modifications that include reduction of overall calories, as well as reduction of sodium, have been shown to reduce blood pressure in some individuals. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is also helpful in management of hypertension. Finally, increasing physical activity, particularly aerobic physical activity, can lower blood pressure even when increased physical activity does not result in weight loss. Health care providers must learn approaches to behavior change that help patients and their families modify their diet and activity behaviors.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado, 13123 E. 16th Avenue, B065, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA

    Stephen R. Daniels

  2. Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, 363B French Building East, 3202 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45267-0394, USA

    Sarah C. Couch

Authors
  1. Stephen R. Daniels
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  2. Sarah C. Couch
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephen R. Daniels .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Washington School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics and Seattle Children’s Hospital Division of Nephrology, Seattle, WA, USA

    Joseph T. Flynn

  2. Division of Nephrology MassGeneral for Children at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School Department of Pediatrics, Boston, MA, USA

    Julie R. Ingelfinger

  3. St. Luke’s Health System, Children’s Nephrology and Hypertension, Boise, ID, USA

    Karen M. Redwine

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Arkansas Children's Hospital, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 1 Children's Way, 72202, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Karen M. Redwine MD

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Daniels, S.R., Couch, S.C. (2018). Nonpharmacologic Treatment of Pediatric Hypertension. In: Flynn, J., Ingelfinger, J., Redwine, K. (eds) Pediatric Hypertension. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31107-4_35

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31107-4_35

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