The Silent Killer

With every ounce of urban pleasure comes a pound of torment, invisible but experienced. The growing economic indexes, decadent lifestyles, and a fair amount of carelessness all in tandem contribute to the aggravated health standards of urban citizens. Less physical activity, increased use of alcohol and tobacco, high consumption of junk foods, and undoubtedly, relentless increase of stress and strain from work have taken a toll on all of us.

According to report published by World Health Organisation (WHO), one in three adults worldwide has raised blood pressure, which is main cause of around 48% of all deaths from stroke and heart disease. The report also reveals that behavioural risk factors, including tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and the harmful use of alcohol, are estimated to be responsible for about 80% of coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. Upon further bifurcating the leading behavioural and physiological risk factors, the deaths attributed to various reasons include 13% of global deaths are attributed to raised blood pressure, 9% due to consumption of tobacco, 6% due to increased blood glucose level, another 6% for physical inactivity, and 5% for overweight. Further, the resort clarifies that high blood pressure causes 51% of stroke deaths and 45% of coronary heart disease deaths.

Although mean blood pressure (MPB) has noticed a dramatic fall in almost all high-income countries, for example, the male systolic blood pressure (SBP) in the US has been decreased from 131 mm Hg in 1980 to 123 mm Hg in 2008, and the female SBP decreased from 125 mm to 118 mm Hg, on the contrary, the MBP has been increasing in most African countries. The reasons are obvious: increasing smoking rates, a significant shift towards Western-style diets and less exercise. The WHO’s director general Margaret Chan says, “In some African countries, as much as half the adult population has high blood pressure.”

According to report, the developed nations have noticed a significant fall in average blood pressure because of widespread diagnosis and treatment with low-cost drugs; however, specifically in Africa, more than 40 per cent of adults are estimated to have high blood pressure. And a very interesting observation though it seems, obesity marks almost 100% growth in ever region of the world between 1980 and 2008. Almost half a billion people or 12 per cent of the world’s population are considerably obese. Twenty-six per cent of adults in the US and 3 per cent in Asia are obese.

The health statistics also looks very dismal in India as well. Almost one in every four people in India suffers from high blood pressure. A report suggests that 25% of urban Indians and 10% of rural Indians suffer from high blood pressure. Among the metros in India, Mumbai leads the race with 44% of men and 45% of women suffer from high blood pressure, whereas 30% and 33% among men and women in Delhi, and 24% and 17% among men and women in Kolkata. In India, 57%of all stroke deaths and 24% of all coronary heart disease deaths are linked to high blood pressure.

High blood pressure may afflict anyone, but there is nothing to be worried about. Greater awareness about the risk factors and the symptoms of this disease is the only effective way of managing it. Early detection and preventive measures can literally make the difference between life and death. High blood pressure can be treated efficaciously and controlled with proper medications and lifestyle transformation. Remember, high blood pressure can't be cured permanently. So a symptom of decrease in high blood pressure should not be considered as a permanent cure and hence treating high blood pressure should not be stopped then.