Vital SignsBlood Pressure
Blood Pressure in Children
  • Routine blood pressure measurements in children may be performed in children beginning around age 3 years. In younger children and infants, measure the blood pressure only if the history or physical exam suggests a problem.
  • As in adults, proper cuff size is essential. The bladder width should cover no more than 2/3 of the child's upper arm and the bladder length should cover approximately 3/4 of the arm circumference. A cuff that is too small will inflate the pressure reading and a large cuff will give an artificially low pressure.
  • Unlike in adults, the diastolic reading in children is the point at which the sounds first become muffled rather than the point at which they disappear completely.
  • Normal blood pressures vary with age; the table on the right should serve as a rough guide.
If coarctation of the aorta is suspected, measure pressures in arms and legs. Large differences in pressures are indicative of this condition.

Sustained hypertension over several readings in children should prompt a search for its cause. In infants and young children hypertension is most often due to a specific cause. In older children and adolescents, a specific cause is less likely to be found and may resolve by adulthood.
Age Systolic Blood Pressure
Birth 70
6 mo 90
2 92
6 95
8 100
10 105
© 2000 by Richard Rathe & Andria Klioze Updated 7/22/01 RR
From the Basic Clinical Skills Web-Site/CD-ROM, go to www.gsm.com for more information.