Back

Probiotic therapy in pediatric hypertension: A novel adjunctive strategy

Summaries 2 min 183

Font Size

Created On: 19/11/2025

Childhood hypertension (HTN) is an emerging health concern with long-term cardiovascular risks.

See All

Key take away

Probiotics enhance the blood pressure-lowering effect of conventional antihypertensive drugs in primary hypertension-affected children without safety concerns.

Background

Childhood hypertension (HTN) is an emerging health concern with long-term cardiovascular risks. Probiotics have shown potential as an adjunct therapy to control blood pressure (BP) in adults, but their role in managing pediatric HTN remains underexplored. This study aimed to determine whether adding probiotics to standard antihypertensive therapy could improve BP control and maintain safety in children suffering from primary HTN.

Method

In this randomized controlled trial, children with primary HTN were assigned to either probiotics + conventional antihypertensives (study group) or antihypertensives alone (control group) for 4 months. The primary endpoints were decrease in systolic and diastolic BP, as well as the occurrence of adverse events.

Result

The results demonstrated that 66 children (33 per group) completed the trial. Baseline demographics, including age, sex, and body mass index, were similar across groups, and most participants had stage-1 HTN.

BP Reduction:

Systolic BP dropped by −4.9 mmHg in the study group vs. −3.1 mmHg in the control group (p=0.02).
Diastolic BP dropped by −3.3 mmHg in the study group vs. −2.1 mmHg in the control group (p=0.04).

Stage-Specific Effect

Greater BP reduction was observed in children with stage-1 HTN compared to stage-2.

Safety

No serious adverse events were reported.

Conclusion

Adding probiotics to conventional antihypertensive therapy substantially reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure in children with primary hypertension and was well-tolerated, supporting its use as a safe adjunctive treatment.