Chennai: Every year, 17 May is celebrated as ‘World Hypertension Day’ by medical fraternity across the world with an objective to increase awareness about the early diagnosis and management of hypertension amongst masses.
This year’s theme is ‘Measure your BP accurately, control it and live longer’. Hypertension or high blood pressure is a silent killer and a harbinger of many adverse events. It considerably increases the years lost to disability and lack of productive life.
Hypertension is prevalent in nearly 25 per cent of the Indian population and the figures are even worrisome in the younger age group between 18 to 25 years, said Dr R Naveen Raja, consultant cardiologist, Dr Mehta Hospital.
The undiagnosed and untreated population are more likely to develop a multitude of deleterious effects, which starts as blood vessel remodelling and culminates in heart attacks, stroke and kidney diseases.
Halting this continuum begins with active screening of the population for the presence of hypertension, ensuring adequate control with the use of widely available drugs and by adopting strict life style modifications like salt restricted diet, regular exercise at least 30 to 40 minutes a day, avoidance of day to day stress in life.
There are plenty of evidences to suggest that the risk factors and hypertension per se may have an onset during childhood. Hence, avoidance of risk factors for hypertension like weight gain, smoking and alcohol and inculcating good habits like regular exercise, eating vegetables and fruits should start at childhood.
Just by increasing the awareness of hypertension in 15 per cent of the population, the disease burden can be considerably decreased. So, measure your blood pressure accurately, control it and live longer.