LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The American Medical Association published a study that found children in underserved communities are at a higher risk of hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure.
Norton Healthcare said, if untreated, it can lead to more serious conditions like heart disease, kidney disease and stroke.
They said there have been plenty of studies that show a relationship between different factors and hypertension -- things like genetics, diet and exercise -- but they said this study is significant because it shows a relationship between the community and hypertension.
Dr. Heather Felton said this study gives them something else to look for.
"Anytime that we can understand, especially when you're talking about prevention, when you're trying to predict who's at risk for certain medical conditions, you have to see it before it happens," Felton said. "This gives me another clue to say, this is a patient that I might want to watch a little bit more closely."
Norton Healthcare said its important to catch hypertension and stop it early because the complications from untreated hypertension can be deadly, and they said this is one more tool to catching hypertension early.
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