With the increasing number of people affected by hyper tension (blood pressure), one considers it to be normal and fails to foresee its harmful consequences, often leading to the death of a person, said Padma Shri Dr. C Venkata Ram, a renowned BP specialist, on Sunday.
Speaking at the launch of BP Clinics, an initiative of Apollo Hospitals, that offers comprehensive care to individuals affected by high blood pressure, he said that in India one out of three individuals are suffering from hypertension problems.
“The very disturbing trend today is that nearly 15 per cent of adults from rural areas have high blood pressure as against 25 per cent adults in urban centres. This is because BP is yet another lifestyle disease. Although people in villages may have a village address, but they lead an urban life style,” he said.
The hypertension related issues do not show visible symptoms in nascent stages, however, when attacked they have a detrimental effect on an individual’s heath, he pointed out. “Since it shows no visible symptoms in the beginning, every one above 18 years need a blood pressure check-up at least once a year,” he said.
“The blood pressure recorded at an individual’s arm, in traditional way, is inaccurate at times and might lead to severe complications if one fails to get exact the BP level”, said Dr. Mohammad Raffey.
“Keeping this in mind, Apollo Hospitals has procured a sophisticated testing device called periscope that records the blood pressure at one’s heart. This helps us to gather the exact blood pressure of an individual. This is a first-of-its kind in the city,” said Dr. Raffey.
At present, the Apollo Hospitals group have launched three BP clinics in the city-Hyderguda, Jubilee Hills and Kondapur-which offer expert care at international standards, said Sangita Reddy, executive director, Apollo Hospitals group.