

Over time, this high blood pressure can cause damage to different organ systems in the body." "If blood pressure is higher, then the heart has to work harder. This pressure is what your heart has to pump against to get blood out to the rest of your body," explains Alan Sing, M.D., a pediatric cardiologist at Pediatric Heart Specialists, a Children's Health℠ Care Network Partner. "A blood pressure reading measures the force of blood against the walls of arteries. When left untreated, this condition can cause serious complications, such as heart disease, kidney failure, stroke and vision loss. However, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), an estimated 3.5% of children and teens have high blood pressure. You may think that hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a condition that affects only adults. Resources for Transgender Youth and Their Families.

