What Are the Causes of High Blood Pressure in Infants?

According to Medline Plus, high blood pressure “is an increase in the force of blood against the arteries in the body.” Surprisingly, infants can suffer from high blood pressure, which can be caused by a number of reasons.

Prematurity

Prematurity in infants can cause high blood pressure due to the fact their organs are not fully developed.

Blood Clot

A blood clot in a kidney blood vessel can cause high blood pressure in newborns. This problem is usually the result of the mother having an umbilical catheter.

Kidney or Heart Disease

Kidney or heart disease that is diagnosed at birth can cause high blood pressure in infants.

Illegal Drugs

An infant can experience high blood pressure if the mother was using illegal drugs during pregnancy. Therefore, the newborn is born with drugs in her system, resulting in high blood pressure.

Inherited Conditions

Inherited conditions such as thyroid problems can be passed down to infants and cause them to have high blood pressure.

According to Medline Plus