Recovery & Support for Children with Hypertension

The doctors at Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone manage all aspects of treatment for children with hypertension. This includes ongoing support and education for you and your child. Our experts can teach you how to measure your child’s blood pressure with devices that are used at home, and connect you to other specialists to help manage related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or congenital heart disease. These child and family support services and resilience programs are provided by Sala Institute for Child and Family Centered Care.

Follow-Up Appointments

Our doctors monitor your child’s blood pressure for a few months after starting antihypertensive therapy. If your child’s hypertension is caused by obesity or other risk factors, our doctors may recommend one or two follow-up visits per year. More frequent monitoring may be required if your child has another medical condition that has caused hypertension.

If your child has had persistently high blood pressure, the doctor may refer your child to an ophthalmologist for an examination of the retinas—tissue in the back of the eye that contains light-sensitive cells that create images—to look for signs of damage from increased pressure in the eye.

Nutritional Support

Our registered dietitians offer continued support for families and children as they embrace a low-sodium diet, such as DASH, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.

Our nutritionists can meet with you to develop a realistic meal plan and offer tips on avoiding high-sodium foods at the grocery store and in restaurants.

Social Work

Our social workers can help you and your family get access to local gyms, sports programs, and other places that may help your child increase his or her activity level.