At least 46% adults suffering from hypertension: experts

Individuals as young as 18 years suffering from high blood pressure due to sedentary lifestyle

KARACHI:

The incidence of hypertension or high blood pressure in adults in Pakistan has jumped to 46 per cent in 2020 from 13 per cent in 2010, health experts said on Thursday.

They blamed sedentary and unhealthy lifestyles, anxiety, lack of physical and sports activities have caused people as young as 18 years of age suffering from hypertension or high blood pressure.

Addressing a news conference regarding the 24th Annual Scientific Conference of Pakistan Hypertension League (PHL), to be held in Karachi from Friday, PHL office-bearers and eminent cardiologists said, due to high incidence of hypertension in the country, millions of people are dying in early age due to heart attacks, renal failure or getting disabled due to strokes or blindness.

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"Of the 46 per cent people who are suffering from hypertension in Pakistan, half of them don't know that they have high blood pressure and by the time it is diagnosed, it has caused irreparable loss to their vital organs including heart, kidneys, brain as it hardens the arteries, decreases blood flow and oxygen to heart," Vice Chancellor, Indus Medical University, Prof Feroz Memon told a news conference at Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Thursday.

Prof Feroz maintained that a sedentary lifestyle, abstaining from physical activity and exercise, eating junk food, obesity, smoking and excessive use of salt were the leading causes of hypertension.

Secretary General of PHL Prof Muhammad Ishaq said hypertension is a silent killer and mother of all the major diseases. Unfortunately, the majority of people, suffering from the disease, are unaware of its disastrous impacts.

"At PHL, we are going to educate doctors, common people and the media about devastating impacts of hypertension, which is preventable and controllable," he said and announced to give Hypertension Research Award to the best research paper to be presented at the conference.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2021.