There is robust evidence that screening and treatment of hypertension prevents cardiovascular disease (CVD) and reduces mortality in the middle-aged population (50–65 years). Even in older adults, lowering BP is likely to be beneficial provided that treatment is well tolerated, despite a lack of studies to support this.
Full Answer
Is the global prevalence of hypertension increasing or decreasing?
Owing to widespread use of antihypertensive medications, global mean blood pressure (BP) has remained constant or decreased slightly over the past four decades. By contrast, the prevalence of hypertension has increased, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).
How can the burden of hypertension be reduced?
How can the burden of hypertension be reduced? 1 Reducing salt intake (to less than 5g daily). 2 Eating more fruit and vegetables. 3 Being physically active on a regular basis. 4 Avoiding use of tobacco. 5 Reducing alcohol consumption. 6 Limiting the intake of foods high in saturated fats. 7 Eliminating/reducing trans fats in diet.
What is the economic impact of hypertension (high blood pressure)?
Few comprehensive assessments of the economic impact of hypertension in global populations exist. It was estimated that the global financial burden of hypertension was about 10% of the world’s overall healthcare expenditures, varying from about 22.6% of all healthcare expenditures in Eastern Europe and Central Asia to 7.2% in East Asia and Pacific.
How many deaths are caused by high blood pressure?
A few studies have combined data on the population mean blood pressure with risk ratios from epidemiological studies to estimate the number of deaths attributable to high blood pressure11,169–172. The focus of these calculations was initially on CVDs and was subsequently extended to include chronic kidney disease11,171,172.
How does hypertension affect the world?
Hypertension affects more than 30% of the adult population worldwide, more than one billion people around the world. It is the main risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, especially coronary heart disease and stroke, but also for chronic kidney disease, heart failure, arrhythmia and dementia.
How does hypertension affect the population?
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the primary and most common risk factor for heart disease, stroke and renal diseases. It is estimated that one in six people worldwide, or nearly one billion, are affected by high blood pressure, and it is estimated that this number will increase to 1.5 billion by 2025 (1).
How does hypertension cause death?
High blood pressure forces the heart to work harder to pump blood to the rest of the body. This causes the lower left heart chamber (left ventricle) to thicken. A thickened left ventricle increases the risk of heart attack, heart failure and sudden cardiac death.
Why is hypertension management important?
Reducing hypertension prevents heart attack, stroke, and kidney damage, as well as other health problems.
Is hypertension a global health issue?
Hypertension is an important global health challenge due to its high prevalence and resulting cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. Hypertension is the leading preventable risk factor for premature death and disability worldwide.
How does hypertension affect public health?
High blood pressure is a global public health problem. It is one of the major causes of premature death worldwide, killing nearly 8 million people every year, and the problem is growing. Over 1 billion people are living with high blood pressure.
Does high blood pressure cause early death?
According to a new study, diagnosis of high blood pressure at an earlier age is associated with greater risk of cardiovascular death and signifies an inherited predisposition for the disease.
Does hypertension reduce life expectancy?
For all-cause death, absolute excess risks ranged from 10.1 to 107.6 per 1000 in 25 years. For men with higher BP levels, ie, high-normal BP and stages 1, 2, and 3 hypertension, estimated life expectancy was shorter by 2.2, 4.1, 8.4, and 12.2 years, respectively, compared with men with normal BP.
Why is hypertension called the silent killer?
Often referred to as the “silent killer” because it may show no symptoms, high blood pressure puts you at an increased risk for heart disease, heart failure, and stroke, among other things.
What is hypertension and its management?
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is dangerous because it can lead to strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, or kidney disease. The goal of hypertension treatment is to lower high blood pressure and protect important organs, like the brain, heart, and kidneys from damage.
What does treatment for essential hypertension focus on?
The overall goal of treatment in hypertensive patients is to reduce the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality by lowering BP and treating other modifiable risk factors. In general, the goal is to lower BP to below 140/90 mm Hg.
What is the management of high blood pressure?
Eat a heart-healthy diet. Try the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, poultry, fish and low-fat dairy foods. Get plenty of potassium, which can help prevent and control high blood pressure. Eat less saturated fat and trans fat.
How much has obesity increased in the past decade?
From 1975 to 2014, global age-standardized prevalence of obesity increased from 3.2% to 10.8% in men, and from 6.4% to 14.9% in women.
Is hypertension a cardiovascular disease?
Hypertension is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease and premature death worldwide. Owing to widespread use of antihypertensive medications, global mean blood pressure (BP) has remained constant or decreased slightly over the past four decades. By contrast, the prevalence of hypertension has increased, especially in low ...
Is hypertension a risk factor?
Hypertension is the leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and premature death worldwide. The prevalence and absolute burden of hypertension is rising globally, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension are unacceptably low worldwide, particularly in LMICs.
What are the complications of hypertension?
What are the complications of uncontrolled hypertension? 1 Chest pain, also called angina. 2 Heart attack, which occurs when the blood supply to the heart is blocked and heart muscle cells die from lack of oxygen. The longer the blood flow is blocked, the greater the damage to the heart. 3 Heart failure, which occurs when the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to other vital body organs. 4 Irregular heart beat which can lead to a sudden death.
Which region has the highest prevalence of hypertension?
The prevalence of hypertension varies across regions and country income groups. The WHO African Region has the highest prevalence of hypertension (27%) while the WHO Region of the Americas has the lowest prevalence of hypertension (18%).
What is the systolic blood pressure reading on both days?
Hypertension is diagnosed if, when it is measured on two different days, the systolic blood pressure readings on both days is ≥140 mmHg and/or the diastolic blood pressure readings on both days is ≥90 mmHg.
What happens when the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to other vital body organs?
The longer the blood flow is blocked, the greater the damage to the heart. Heart failure, which occurs when the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to other vital body organs. Irregular heart beat which can lead to a sudden death. Hypertension can also burst or block arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the brain, causing a stroke.
Why is it important to check blood pressure?
For this reason, it is essential that blood pressure is measured regularly. When symptoms do occur, they can include early morning headaches, nosebleeds, irregular heart rhythms, vision changes, and buzzing in the ears.
What is the cause of heart pain?
Among other complications, hypertension can cause serious damage to the heart. Excessive pressure can harden arteries, decreasing the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart. This elevated pressure and reduced blood flow can cause: Chest pain, also called angina.
Who is the partner of the Global Hearts Initiative?
Other partners contributing to the Global Hearts Initiative are: the CDC Foundation, the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the U.S. CDC.
What are the risk factors for hypertension?
Variations in the levels of risk factors for hypertension, such as high sodium intake, low potassium intake, obesity, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet, may explain some of the regional heterogeneity in hypertension prevalence.
How many people had hypertension in 2010?
Estimates suggest that 31.1% of adults (1.39 billion) worldwide had hypertension in 2010. The prevalence of hypertension among adults was higher in LMICs (31.5%, 1.04 billion people) than in high-income countries (28.5%, 349 million people). Variations in the levels of risk factors for hypertension, such as high sodium intake, low potassium intake, ...
Is hypertension a global disease?
The global epidemiology of hypertension. Hypertension is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease and premature death worldwide. Owing to the widespread use of antihypertensive medications, global mean blood pressure (BP) has remained constant or has decreased slightly over the past four decades. By contrast, the prevalence of hypertens ….
What are the ISH guidelines for hypertension?
The 2020 ISH Global Hypertension Practice Guidelines were developed by the ISH Hypertension Guidelines Committee based on evidence criteria, (1) to be used globally; (2) to be fit for application in low and high resource settings by advising on essential and optimal standards; and (3) to be concise, simplified, and easy to use. They were critically reviewed and evaluated by numerous external hypertension experts from HIC and LMIC with expertize in the optimal management of hypertension and management in resource-constraint settings. These Guidelines were developed without any support from industry or other sources.
What should be included in a therapeutic strategy for BP?
In addition to BP control, the therapeutic strategy should include lifestyle changes, body weight control and the effective treatment of the other risk factors to reduce the residual cardiovascular risk. 1
What is the BP in the office?
The measurement of BP in the office or clinic is most commonly the basis for hypertension diagnosis and follow-up. Office BP should be measured according to recommendations shown in Table 3 and Figure 1. 1, 2, 17, 18
What is ISH in BP?
To align with its mission to reduce the global burden of raised blood pressure (BP), the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) has developed worldwide practice guidelines for the management of hypertension in adults, aged 18 years and older.
What are the risks of black people?
Black populations, whether residing in Africa, the Caribbean, United States, or Europe, develop hypertension and associated organ damage at younger ages, have a higher frequency of resistant and nighttime hypertension, and a higher risk of kidney disease, 131 stroke, HF, and mortality, 132 than other ethnic groups.
What is white coat hypertension?
The use of office and out-of-office (home or ambulatory) BP measurements identifies individuals with white coat hypertension, who have elevated BP only in the office (nonelevated ambulatory or home BP), and those with masked hypertension, who have nonelevated BP in the office but elevated BP out of the office (ambulatory or home). 1, 2, 17–21, 25–27 These conditions are common among both untreated subjects and those treated for hypertension. About 10%–30% of subjects attending clinics due to high BP have white coat hypertension and 10%–15% have masked hypertension.
Is BP more reproducible than office blood pressure?
Out-of-office BP measurements (by patients at home or with 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring [ABPM]) are more reproducible than office measurements, more closely associated with hypertension-induced organ damage and the risk of cardiovascular events and identify the white coat and masked hypertension phenomena (see below).
What are the factors that affect the treatment of hypertension?
Some studies have identified factors that affect the treatment of hypertension. The implementation of universal health coverage, the extent of out-of-pocket spending for care and medicines, and the number and location of health facilities influence access to health-care .
Which studies have evaluated the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for hypertension prevention?
Studies that have evaluated the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for hypertension prevention include some of the Lancet Series in NCDs 174, the Disease Control Priorities study 175 , the Lancet Commission on Hypertension 1, and the WHO Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 176.
What did the Yellow Emperor say about pulse disease?
In the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine (first written approximately 200–400 BCE), the Yellow Emperor of China (approximately 2600–2700 BCE) was believed to have talked about the so-called ‘hard pulse disease’, claiming that ‘if too much salt is used in food, the pulse hardens’ and suggested the use of venesection for treatment 15, 16. Physicians in ancient Egypt (approximately 1500 BCE) and India (approximately 150 BCE) also noted the relationship between pulse quality and the development of afflictions of the heart and brain 17. Pulse also had an essential role in ancient Greek medicine, and its relationship with environment and disease was discussed at length by physicians including Hippocrates (460–370 BCE), Erasistratus (304–250 BCE) and Galen (130–210 CE) 16 – 19. However, these physicians did not note the connection between apoplexy and high blood pressure or hardening of the pulse 16.
Is hypertension a comorbidity?
Hypertension has emerged as a common comorbidity in patients hospital ized with COVID-19 (refs 222 – 230 ). Studies in China, Italy, the UK and the USA found a strong association between pre-existing hypertension and disease severity and mortality. However, findings were mixed after accounting for age and other comorbidities and risk factors, particularly obesity and diabetes, which often co-occur with hypertension 222, 223, 230 – 237. Therefore, at the time of this Review, insufficient evidence exists to establish hypertension or high blood pressure as a risk factor for hospitalization with, or prognosis of, COVID-19 independent of age and other conditions.
Which countries have the highest rates of hypertension?
Another 2019 study used national data on hypertension treatment from the 1970s in 12 high-income countries 95. The study showed that Canada, Germany, South Korea and the USA had the highest rates of awareness, treatment and control of hypertension, whereas Finland, Ireland, Japan and Spain had the lowest.
When was blood pressure first measured?
The first accurate, direct measurement of human blood pressure was performed by the surgeon Faivre with the use of a mercury manometer during a limb amputation in 1856, with a reported arterial blood pressure of 115–120 mmHg (refs 22, 23 ).
Is high blood pressure a risk factor?
High blood pressure is one of the most important risk factors for is chaemic heart disease, stroke, other cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease and dementia. Mean blood pressure and the prevalence of raised blood pressure have declined substantially in high-income regions since at least the 1970s. By contrast, blood pressure has risen in East, South and Southeast Asia, Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa. Given these trends, the prevalence of hypertension is now higher in low-income and middle-income countries than in high-income countries. In 2015, an estimated 8.5 million deaths were attributable to systolic blood pressure >115 mmHg, 88% of which were in low-income and middle-income countries. Measures such as increasing the availability and affordability of fresh fruits and vegetables, lowering the sodium content of packaged and prepared food and staples such as bread, and improving the availability of dietary salt substitutes can help lower blood pressure in the entire population. The use and effectiveness of hypertension treatment vary substantially across countries. Factors influencing this variation include a country’s financial resources, the extent of health insurance and health facilities, how frequently people interact with physicians and non-physician health personnel, whether a clear and widely adopted clinical guideline exists and the availability of medicines. Scaling up treatment coverage and improving its community effectiveness can substantially reduce the health burden of hypertension.
How many people died from high blood pressure in 2018?
High blood pressure was a primary or contributing cause of death for more than 494,873 people in the United States in 2018. 2. High blood pressure costs the United States about $131 billion each year, averaged over 12 years from 2003 to 2014. 4.
What are the rates of high blood pressure?
Rates of High Blood Pressure Control Vary by Sex and Race 1 A greater percent of men (47%) have high blood pressure than women (43%). 3 2 High blood pressure is more common in non-Hispanic black adults (54%) than in non-Hispanic white adults (46%), non-Hispanic Asian adults (39%), or Hispanic adults (36%). 3 3 Among those recommended to take blood pressure medication, blood pressure control is higher among non-Hispanic white adults (32%) than in non-Hispanic black adults (25%), non-Hispanic Asian adults (19%), or Hispanic adults (25%). 3
How many people have blood pressure of 140/90?
About half of adults (45%) with uncontrolled hypertension have a blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or higher. This includes 37 million U.S. adults. 3. About 30 million adults who are recommended to take medication may need it to be prescribed and to start taking it.
What is the blood pressure of a stage 2 hypertension patient?
Stage 2 hypertension is defined as a blood pressure at or above 140/90 mm Hg. 1
What is stage 2 hypertension?
Stage 2. ≥140 mm Hg. or. ≥90 mm Hg. Having hypertension puts you at risk for heart disease and stroke, which are leading causes of death in the United States. 2. In 2018, nearly half a million deaths in the United States included hypertension as a primary or contributing cause. 2. Nearly half of adults in the United States (108 million, ...
Is high blood pressure more common in black people?
A greater percent of men (47%) have high blood pressure than women (43%). 3. High blood pressure is more common in non-Hispanic black adults (54%) than in non-Hispanic white adults (46%), ...
Does blood pressure rise or fall?
Blood pressure normally rises and falls throughout the day , but it can damage your heart and cause health problems if it stays high for a long time. Hypertension, also called high blood pressure, is blood pressure that is higher than normal.