Children who have high blood pressure are also likely to have hypertension when they are adults, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said studies as long as 40 years showed the relationship.

Lead author Dr. Youfa Wang said that means it is important to watch blood pressure in children and treat it if it gets too high.

Currently, it is estimated that nearly 73 million adults in the United States have high blood pressure, which is one of the major modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease, according to a news release. It can lead to heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and a number of other health problems.

A previous study conducted by Wang and colleagues found that approximately 60 percent of American adults had pre-hypertension or hypertension in 1999 to 2000.

But Wang said eating a healthy diet and getting exercise can fix the problem for many people, even without using medication.