Global Report on Hypertension

Global Report on Hypertension

News: Recently, during the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) 78th session, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report titled 'Global report on hypertension: The race against a silent killer.'

What is Hypertension?
• Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a condition that occurs when the pressure in your blood vessels is consistently too high.
• It’s caused by high pressure in the arteries, which are the vessels that carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
• The heart has to work harder to pump blood.
• Most people with hypertension don’t feel any symptoms. Very high blood pressures can cause headaches, blurred vision, chest pain and other symptoms.
• Hypertension can be categorized into two types, each type has a different cause
• Risk factors include older age, genetics, being overweight or obese, not being physically active, high-salt diet, drinking too much alcohol.
• If untreated, it can lead to serious health problems like heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, and more.

Key Findings:
• Hypertension is a silent, invisible killer that rarely causes symptoms. Increasing public awareness is key, as is access to early detection.
• Raised blood pressure is a serious warning sign that significant lifestyle changes are urgently needed.
• Uncontrolled hypertension can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and premature death.
• It also results in substantial economic losses for communities and countries.
• Globally, One in three adults across the world suffers from hypertension. The number of hypertension cases has doubled from 650 million to a staggering 1.3 billion between 1990 and 2019.

India specific findings:
• India alone has an estimated 188.3 million adults aged 30–79 years grappling with hypertension.
• Only 37 per cent of Indians with hypertension are diagnosed and only 30 per cent get treated.
• Primary triggers for hypertension in India are high salt intake, tobacco use (28%), obesity, alcohol consumption and lack of physical exercise (34%).
• The prevalence of high blood pressure in India is slightly lower than the global average of 31%.
• To reach a 50% control rate, India needs to ensure that an additional 67 million people with hypertension receive effective treatment.
• If the progress scenario were achieved, 4.6 million deaths due to high blood pressure would be averted by 2040.