Obesity and hypertension in children: A worldwide problem

Childhood obesity is an important and concerning public health problem.Its prevalence is increasing worldwide, as are obesity-related diseases, at ever younger ages, in both developed and developing countries.1---3 According to the World Health Organization, worldwide obesity rates have nearly tripled since 1975.In 2016, more than 39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight and 13% were obese.The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 rose dramatically from 4% in 1975 to over 18% in 2016.4 Portugal presents one of the highest prevalences of pediatric obesity and overweight in Europe. 2 Overweight and obesity are linked to higher mortality worldwide than underweight.1 Obesity-related diseases, usually considered adult diseases, are more frequently affecting children and adolescents.Obesity-related comorbidities affect the cardiovascular, endocrine, pulmonary and gastrointestinal systems, as well as having psychosocial effects.2,3 Hypertension, classically an adult problem, used to be a rare condition in children, in whom it was mostly secondary to renal, endocrine or cardiovascular disorders, such as coarctation