World Hypertension Day: Avoid high blood pressure, know your numbers

Hypertension is a silent disease. It affects millions of Indians and responsible for 10.8 percent of deaths in the nation. This year, World Hypertension Day is being observed with the theme “Know Your Numbers”, highlighting the importance of screening for high blood pressure and ensuring it is kept under control. The occasion is observed annually on May 17th, with the aim this year of “increasing high blood pressure (BP) awareness in all populations around the world” according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This year, Health Issues India explores the hypertension epidemic in India and how it can be counteracted. 

“”Awareness is the first step,” Dr Dey states. However, he adds, “there is a huge gap between people knowing they are hypertensive and then actually controlling their blood pressure. This gap needs to be covered.””

An estimated 224 million people live with hypertension in India, according to Dr Subhojit Dey, executive director of the Disha Foundation, a non-government organisation which works in the field of health and is striving to raise awareness of hypertension at the national, state and district levels. This accounts for approximately seventeen percent of the total population. Concerningly, Dr Dey states, only eight percent of hypertensive people in India control their blood pressure. This poses a concern, potentially entailing an epidemic of cardiovascular disease.

“One of the biggest issues facing India is hypertension,” Dr Dey told Health Issues India. Despite this, he says, “awareness is not good for the public and policymakers.”

To combat this, the Disha Foundation has organised media workshops aimed at raising awareness of high blood pressure. They plan to convene more in the future. These interventions target stakeholders to enact reform in policy areas where hypertension should be addressed, to effect measures to better control Indians’ blood pressure. However, this is not the only means of facilitating better hypertension control.

“Awareness is the first step,” Dr Dey states. However, he adds, “there is a huge gap between people knowing they are hypertensive and then actually controlling their blood pressure. This gap needs to be covered.”

“There needs to be screening as well as knowing about screening and the importance of blood pressure levels. People don’t know about the two simple numbers (systolic and diastolic).”

This is to say nothing of the issues surrounding awareness. “One of the major problems when it comes to hypertension is knowledge and people do not get screened regularly,” says Dr Dey. “People have no idea what the warning signs are.

There needs to be screening as well as knowing about screening and the importance of blood pressure levels. People don’t know about the two simple numbers (systolic and diastolic).” This observation lends new vitality to the “Know Your Numbers” theme.

“The good news is that there is very good, cheap equipment available and people can screen themselves very easily,” Dr Dey notes. From here, he explains, the need is for “a continuum of care”. To this end, the Disha Foundation hopes to engage not only the policymakers but also healthcare providers, including those who do so informally, to allow for hypertension to be managed when it is diagnosed.

““Hypertension is definitely age-related. Lifestyle factors such as smoking, lack of physical activity and increased salt consumption are also important…It is important to have a good lifestyle and it is important to keep blood pressure under control with access to drugs which can help.””

The risk factors for high blood pressure, he explains, are “similar to the risk factors for heart disease. Hypertension is definitely age-related. Lifestyle factors such as smoking, lack of physical activity and increased salt consumption are also important.”

To combat and manage high blood pressure, Dr Dey adds, “it is important to have a good lifestyle and it is important to keep blood pressure under control with access to drugs which can help.”

“Many Indians eat too much salt; 232 million Indian adults use tobacco daily; many Indians do not get enough exercise. All of these are among just a few risk factors contributing to a veritable high blood pressure epidemic, poised to grow into one of the dominant threats facing public health in the country.”

Going forward, the Disha Foundation hopes to maintain the momentum of the dialogue it is creating, especially hoping to engage the stakeholders in states and districts where the hypertension burden is high.

At a time when the risk factors for hypertension are present in great numbers of India’s population, the work performed by NGOs such as the Disha Foundation is vital in creating and sustaining a national dialogue about the importance of managing your blood pressure.

Many Indians eat too much salt; 232 million Indian adults use tobacco daily; many Indians do not get enough exercise. All of these are among just a few risk factors contributing to a veritable high blood pressure epidemic, poised to grow into one of the dominant threats facing public health in the country. For policymakers, providers and people alike, Dr Dey’s words must be heeded.