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Pediatric Blood Pressure Calculator

Created by Łucja Zaborowska, MD, PhD candidate
Reviewed by Bogna Szyk and Jack Bowater
Based on research by
National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group on High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents The fourth report on the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of high blood pressure in children and adolescents; Pediatrics; August 2004
Last updated: Jan 18, 2024


The pediatric blood pressure calculator will compute your child's pediatric BP percentile for both their systolic and diastolic pressures. You will also find out whether the given value falls within the normal blood pressure range for children. 👶

Follow our article below for more information on pediatric blood pressure percentiles, the formula used, and blood pressure charts for children. 🧸

*Disclaimer: We try our best to make our Omni Calculators as precise and reliable as possible. However, this tool can never replace professional medical advice.

What is normal blood pressure for a child?

Pediatric blood pressure is based on a child's age and height. We usually read it from special charts that use the child's height percentile and their systolic and diastolic blood pressures, given in mmHg.

The results are given in percentiles.

Your child's blood pressure percentile describes the number of children whose blood pressure is lower than the one of your child's, e.g., if your child is in the 90th percentile, it means that 90% of children in the population have a blood pressure lower than your child's, while 10% have higher blood pressure.

💡 Systolic pressure usually has a larger value - it is generated during the heart's contractions. Diastolic pressure has a smaller value - it's the pressure of the resting heart. They're usually given in a Sys/Dias format, e.g., 120/80.

  • Normal pediatric blood pressure - below 90th percentile

  • Prehypertension - 90-95th percentile - this describes the state where the blood pressure is elevated but not yet pathological. It requires in-depth investigation and careful monitoring.

  • Hypertension - stage 1 - 95-99th percentile - your child's blood pressure is elevated and requires treatment and the proper diagnostics.

  • Hypertension - stage 2 - over 99th percentile - the final stage of pediatric hypertension. This level of blood pressure may pose a risk to your child's health and life - it requires immediate medical attention!

We covered all the basics regarding the kids' blood pressure charts - would you like to discover our other percentile calculators?

How to use the pediatric blood pressure calculator

Our child blood pressure calculator requires just 5 simple steps:

  1. Enter your child's age.

    The most important part as both the height and BP percentiles depend on it.

  2. Choose your child's sex.

    Boys tend to have higher blood pressure than girls.

  3. Enter your child's height.

    Our blood pressure percentile calculator will notify you if the entered value is either too low or too high.

  4. Enter the systolic pressure...

  5. ...and the diastolic pressure.

Your results are here! 🥳 They include both your child's BP range and its explanations. Would you like to check anything else - maybe your child's future height?

How to calculate pediatric blood pressure?

There is no direct pediatric blood pressure formula by age. It's not that simple - we're required to use the pediatric blood pressure charts meant for a given age and height.

That's what we're here for - our pediatric blood pressure calculator for boys and girls allows you to painlessly compute your child's blood pressure range without any complicated chart readings.

However, if we didn't scare you enough, here's a short explanation of how to proceed:

  1. With your child's sex, age, and height in hand...
    • Find all these values on a height percentile chart - connect the lines on which they're located.

      Here's the exemplary height percentile chart for boys, adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

A BMI percentile chart for boys aged 2-20
  • The point where both of them touch is your child's height percentile. Draw a dot in that place.

    • Pediatricians usually draw 5 different percentiles: 3rd, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 97th. Check which one of them is the closest one to your dot and estimate its value.

    • The easier way is to use the table, although they're not available for all pediatric populations (and they're not that precise).

  1. With your child's sex, age, and calculated height percentile...

    • Instructions are similar to the previous point - find your values on the chart's axis and follow the lines on which they're located.

    • After you've done that, look for the crossing point.

    • You may also use one of the ready-to-go tables.

FAQ

What is a normal blood pressure for pediatrics?

In pediatrics, the evaluation of a child's blood pressure involves:

  1. The age and height of the child.
  2. Determination of the child's height percentile.
  3. Measuring the systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
  4. Reading the results from the pediatric blood pressure chart.
  5. Interpreting the result — normal blood pressure is below the 90th percentile.

What is a normal blood pressure for a 10 year old?

The answer is — it depends. The changes in children are very dynamic, and every child develops differently. Therefore, it is crucial to consider the sex and height of the child.

  • In the case of 10-year-old boys, the systolic blood pressure should range between 97-119 and the diastolic between 58-78.
  • When it comes to 10-year-old girls, it is 98-118 and 59-76, respectively.

What are the stages of hypertension?

There are two stages of hypertension:

  • Hypertension stage 1 — corresponds to the 95th-99th BP (blood pressure) percentile and means that the child's blood pressure is significantly elevated and needs proper treatment.
  • Hypertension stage 2 — BP above the 99th percentile; the elevated blood pressure may pose a risk to the child's life — please seek immediate medical attention!

An elevated blood pressure level in the 90th-95th percentile is called prehypertension, which does not pose a threat to the child's health but should be monitored to avoid developing into a pathological state.

Is a blood pressure of 120/75 healthy for children?

It strongly depends on their sex, age, and height. While a blood pressure (BP) of 120 systolic and 75 diastolic is normal for a 4'11" 13-year-old boy, these values are already considered prehypertension for a 13-year-old girl of the same height.

To adequately assess whether your child's BP is within a healthy range, use the pediatric blood pressure chart or simply Omni Calculator's Pediatric Blood Pressure Calculator.

Łucja Zaborowska, MD, PhD candidate
Age
mos
Sex
Female ♀️
Height
ft
in
Systolic BP
mmHg
Diastolic BP
mmHg
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