Twice as many cases of hypertension as 30 years ago. Are you at risk?

In the last 30 years, the number of adults, aged 30 to 79 years, living with hypertension has doubled globally. 

From around 331 million (33.1 crore) women and 317 million (31.7 crore) men in 1990, the number rose to 626 million (62.6 crores) women and 652 million (65.2 crores) men by 2019. Most of this increase was observed in low to middle-income countries, informs a study recently published in the journal Lancet.

In India, the prevalence of hypertension, also called high blood pressure, grew from 28% in women and 29% in men in 1990 to 32% in women and 38% in men in 2019.  
The study analysed blood pressure measurements of over 100 million adults across 184 countries. 

Even though hypertension is easy to diagnose and treat, nearly half of the people living with high BP were unaware and more than half were not treated, found the study.  

As a result, 8.5 million (85 lakh) people died of hypertension in 2015. The condition is also a leading risk factor for heart attack, heart failure, other vascular diseases and renal disease. 

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What is the blood pressure range for hypertension?  

Blood pressure is measured as a combination of two key numbers, that is systolic and diastolic blood pressure. A person is diagnosed with hypertension if their systolic blood pressure reading is greater than or equal to 140 mmHg and/or the diastolic blood pressure reading is greater than or equal to 90 mmHg, as per the World Health Organisation (WHO). 

Symptoms of hypertension  

Known as the silent killer, there are no clear warning signs or symptoms of hypertension. The WHO recommends regular BP measurements from a health professional to stay safe. 

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Common causes of hypertension 

Apart from non-modifiable causes of hypertension such as family history, age of over 65 years, co-existing illnesses like diabetes or kidney disease, hypertension can be caused by diet factors like heavy salt intake, high intake of saturated fat and trans fats as well as lower consumption of fruits and vegetables. Lack of physical activity, tobacco, alcohol consumption and being overweight may also increase your risk.

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