A preventive health programme conducted by the Union Health Ministry reveals that one in every eight people in the country have high blood pressure.
The results were drawn after screening about 22.5 million adults across 100 districts in 2017.
The figures have increased significantly from the one in every 11 people as indicated by the National Family Health Survey in 2015/16.
“This indicates an urgent need for people to change their current lifestyles for achieving better health outcomes,” said K.K Aggarwal, past national president Indian Medical Association.
The alarming fact is that the screened population belongs to the rural pockets of India where hypertension has so far not been reported as a significant health concern, he added.
The Health Ministry programme defines high blood pressure as a reading of more 140/90 mmHg. Globally, even a reading of 130 is considered high blood pressure.
“Many people with hypertension are not aware of the condition which brings the risk of associated long-term health complications such as heart disease,” he added.
Treatment without a proper and timely screening cannot serve any purpose, he said. Anil Bansal of the Delhi Medical Association said, “In the absence of proper lifestyle changes, people can even become dependent on medication for life. High blood pressure imposes an upfront burden in people who know they have it and are working to control it. It adds to worries about health. It alters what you eat and how active you are. A low sodium diet and regular exercise are important ways to help keep blood pressure in check.”
The doctors said that the average lifespan for people with hypertension is five years shorter than it is for those with normal blood pressure. A release issued by Dr. Aggarwal added that high blood pressure is not a disease but a sign that something is wrong in the body.
In some people with hypertension, the culprit is a narrowing of the arteries supplying the kidneys (renal artery stenosis), or an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) or adrenal glands (aldosteronism). When these are treated, blood pressure drops back to normal. More often, though, doctors find no underlying cause for high blood pressure. This condition is called essential hypertension.
