and it works through increasing vascular volume and viscosity. pediatrics the definition of hypotension changes in the pediatric population depending on the child's age as seen in the table below. pediatric hypotension age systolic pressure term neonates <60 mmhg infants <70 mmhg children 1–10 years <70 + (age in years x 2) mmhg children >10 years <90 mmhg the clinical history provided by the caretaker is the most important part in determining the cause of hypotension in pediatric patients. symptoms for children with hypotension include increased sleepiness, not using the restroom as much (or at all), having difficulty breathing or breathing rapidly, or syncope. the treatment for hypotension in pediatric patients is similar to the treatment in adults by following the four first steps listed above (see treatment). children are more likely to undergo intubation during the treatment of hypotension because their oxygen levels drop more rapidly than adults. the closing of fetal shunts following birth can create instability in the "transitional circulation" of the fetus, and often creates a state of hypotension following birth; while many infants can overcome this hypotension through the closing of shunts, a mean blood pressure (mbp) of lower than 30 mmhg is correlated with severe cerebral injury and can be experienced by premature infants who have poor shunt closure. etymology hypotension, from ancient greek hypo-, meaning "under" or "less" + english tension, meaning "'strain" or "tightness". this refers to the under-constriction of the blood vessels and arteries which leads to low blood pressure.