Many doctors in the city are yet to adopt new guidelines released last November recommending lowering of hypertension definition from 140/90 to 130/80, said C. Venkata S. Ram, south Asian director for World Hypertension League.
Dr. Ram, who also heads Apollo Institute of Blood Pressure Management, told The Hindu that new guidelines will greatly increase the patient burden, but is a move in the right direction. “Doctors still use the older guidelines. It will take at least a year before the new guidelines trickle down and physicians use it,” he said.
On the eve of World Hypertension Day, doctors also expressed concerns about increasing incidence of hypertension among the young. According to Praveen K. Nandagiri of Century Hospitals, children with a possible underlying condition are found to have high blood pressure and as many as one in three young adults who seek consultation are being diagnosed as hypertensive.
According to the National Institute of Nutrition, in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh over 36% men and 28% urban women were affected by hypertension. That number is set to rise as the new guidelines percolate to the lowest level.
Cardiovascular ailments
Hypertension is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular and renal ailments. Doctors say lifestyle modifications can help prevent onset of hypertension and with the medications available, it can also be effectively managed.
