Air pollution tied to high blood pressure for children

Babies exposed to higher levels of air pollution are more likely to face elevated blood pressure, according to a study published Monday in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension.

The study found that air pollution is associated with a higher risk of high blood pressure in adults and children.

Air pollution exposure during pregnancy can also lead to a higher risk of high blood pressure for babies, the study found.

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“What we found was that air pollution exposure during the third trimester in particular was associated with higher blood pressure in children,” Dr. Noel Mueller, the author of the study and an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told CBS News.

The study found that high blood pressure tied to air pollution lasts beyond childhood.

“We know that blood pressure tracks through life. Children who have elevated blood pressure in childhood have a higher probability of having hypertension later in life and cardiovascular diseases,” Mueller told CBS.

According to Mueller, mothers may want to take precautions against pollution during the third trimester, such as exercising indoors if they live in places with high levels of air pollution.

The study followed nearly 1,300 mothers and their children who had follow-up visits between ages 3 and 9.