New Delhi: A higher blood pressure at age seven could increase risk of dying from heart disease in mid-50s, researchers said, stressing the importance of checking children's blood pressure regularly and inculcating heart-healthy habits .

"Having hypertension or elevated blood pressure as a child may increase the risk of death by 40 per cent to 50 per cent over the next five decades of an individual's life," said lead author of the study, Alexa Freedman, an assistant professor at the Northwestern University's school of medicine, US.

The researchers presented the findings at the American Heart Association 's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2025. The study is also published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Around 38,000 children born to women enrolled in the

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