The number of kids hospitalized with high blood pressure rose dramatically in a single decade, finds new research from the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

The study found that the number of children diagnosed with hypertension when admitted to hospitals increased 95 percent from 1997 to 2006. Just over 12,000 kids who were admitted to hospitals had high blood pressure in 1997, compared to 24,600 children in 2006.

Health experts suspect that childhood obesity plays a role in this dramatic increase. Childhood obesity, combined with high blood pressure, can be a predictor for cardiovascular disease later on.

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