Paediatric hypertension (HTN) is often described as a silent killer.

Frequently, without obvious symptoms, it can quietly damage the cardiovascular system from an early age, setting the stage for serious health issues in adulthood, including heart disease and kidney failure.

In South Africa, the condition remains poorly understood.Until now, clinicians have been forced to rely on blood pressure charts developed in the United States and Europe—tools that may not reflect the reality of South African children and risk underdiagnosis or misclassification.

A recent study published in Current Hypertension, found that paediatric hpertensions was tracked in just 15 of the 54 African countries. There is a lack of Childhood BP normograms resulting in the use of guidelines developed in countries with the lowest to no number of children from African ancestry.¹
 

That is about to change. Nelson Mandela University is spearheading the Eastern Cape arm of a pioneering national study on childhood hypertension, the largest of its kind in the country. Its Department of Human Movement Science, led by Dr Aayesha Kholvadia, is gathering the most comprehensive dataset of any participating institution.

The project aims to generate Africa’s first child-specific blood pressure reference charts, adjusted for age, sex, and height.

"Hypertension is a public health concern, particularly in Africa where the prevalence is steadily increasing among children and adolescents."^.1
 

A Community-Driven Scientific Advance

This groundbreaking work could reshape local health policy, ensuring that South African children are assessed against standards that reflect their own context.

In the short term, the study will complete data collection in Nelson Mandela Bay and raise awareness within communities. Medium-term goals include publishing normative blood pressure charts and testing the impact of targeted interventions.

The long-term vision is to integrate blood pressure screening into the national school health system, potentially incorporating it into the Road to Health booklet, and to advocate for policy changes that mandate routine blood pressure checks in schools.

What Comes Next?

“This work is critical for improving early detection, prevention, and long-term management of cardiovascular disease, particularly in under-resourced communities where children are disproportionately affected,” explains Dr Kholvadia.

By replacing reliance on overseas measurements with locally derived evidence, Nelson Mandela University is helping South Africa take a decisive step towards protecting the next generation from a condition that too often goes unseen until it is too late.