“Hypertension [HTN], also known as high blood pressure [HBP], is a long-term medical condition in which blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. HTN is not restricted to a specific gender or age bracket,” noted a survey released by Max Healthcare on ‘Rising Juvenile Obesity’ in the Delhi-NCR.
The survey said rising obesity is causing lifestyle diseases, leading to early onset of ailments, and HTN is one of the critical symptoms that children and young adults are suffering from.
The survey found that youngsters and children are increasingly suffering from HTN, hormonal issues, blood pressure and blood sugar fluctuations.
Twenty-four per cent of obese boys and girls suffer from or are suspected to show symptoms of blood pressure fluctuations.
These fluctuations have been commonly observed in 18% of obese boys and girls.
Sample size
The survey was conducted on a sample size of 1,000 in Delhi-NCR.
Pradeep Chowbey, chairman, Department of Minimal Access, Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Max Healthcare, said: “Youngsters are sleeping late and often resort to midnight binging. Moreover, increased screen usage time among children these days causes a lot of emotional and hormonal changes. Stress hormones and steroid production is increased in the body, which in turn increases appetite. This in turn contributes to weight gain.”
WHO says
Non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes have overtaken communicable diseases as the leading causes of mortality in urban areas, said a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report.
The report stated that HTN is the third biggest risk factor for heart disease in India and is directly responsible for about 57% of all stroke deaths and 24% of all coronary heart disease deaths in India.
The national data stated that 9% women and 14% men falling in the age bracket of 15-49 years suffer from HTN.
Lifestyle diseases
Arindam Haldar, CEO, SRL Diagnostics, said, “Lifestyle diseases like HTN can be prevented by shifting to a preventive healthcare mindset. The fact is that it is far more affordable to prevent a disease rather than cure it. And as is the case with most lifestyle diseases like HTN, once a person is diagnosed with one, he or she has to manage it for the rest of his/ her life.”
Regular check-ups
He added that it is far more easier for a person to get regular check-ups done by a qualified physician and at a laboratory, and follow advice on lifestyle changes that may need to be made to live a long and healthy life.
