Around 12.5% of government and aided school and Pre-University College (PUC) students in Karnataka were found to have hypertension in a health check-up conducted for the academic year 2025-26, under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK).
The Department of Health and Family Welfare conducted check-ups on 46,27,368 students (from Class I to II PUC), between April and November. Out of them, 5,77,260 students were found to have hypertension.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao provided this data replying to a question raised by member Thippanappa Kamakanura in the Legislative Council.
Higher cases
According to the department’s statistics, in sheer numbers, the highest number of students were found to be suffering from hypertension in Vijayapura district. Out of 2,08,902 students screened, 53,073 were found to have hypertension. In Belagavi, out of 5,28,103 students screened, 50,940 students were found to have hypertension. Hypertension was found in 48,598 students in Raichur district, 45,368 in Kalaburagi, 38,355 in Davangere, 35,952 in Tumakuru and 33,345 in Mandya district.
In terms of percentage, it was highest in Davangere district, where 31.3% of students screened had hypertension. Of 1,22,497 students screened in this district, 38,355 students were found to have the problem. Hypertension was found in 29.9% of students in Mandya district, 25.8% in Raichur, 25.4% in Vijayapura, 18.1% in Kalaburagi, and 18% in Bagalkot district.
Meanwhile, the least number of students were found to be suffering from hypertension in Bengaluru South district (earlier Ramanagara). Of 67,669 students screened in this district, 1,297 (1.9%) students were found to have the problem.
However, officials involved in the work cautioned that these should not be read as confirmed cases. “Even in students, blood pressure (BP) changes due to various reasons. BP is quite a subjective matter. Unless we screen three or four times, we cannot confirm it. After screening three or four times, this number may come down. So, we pass the cases to treating doctors,” a senior official of the RBSK told The Hindu.
Methodology issues
Dr. C.N. Manjunath, cardiologist and former director of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, now a Member of Parliament, pointed to the problems in methodology adopted to measure hypertension in children.
“When it is more than 140/90, it is called as high blood pressure in adults, but there is no such cut off for children,” he said, adding that stress of study, childhood obesity and other factors could be triggers. “If there is a strong family history of hypertension, their children may have BP at an early age,” he said, pointing out that 95% of blood pressure is unexplained. “So these children should be checked for endocrine, thyroid, kidney and other problems.”
Dr. Rajath Athreya, cluster head and senior consultant paediatrician and neonatologist in a private hospital in Bengaluru, said, “We are identifying, especially in some risk groups, children having hypertension. Children with obesity have a higher chance of hypertension and early diabetes,” he explained. Consumption of ultra-processed, high-sugar and high-salt diet is an important factor, he said.
Dr. Athreya called it an important study while underlining the need for further evaluation. “We have to increase awareness both amongst doctors and parents,” he said.
Published – December 19, 2025 11:09 pm IST
