KOCHI: Two observational studies recently conducted in our country depicted the dangerous impact of high blood pressure among the Indian population. The first study, conducted by All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The study screened 14957 students of primary and secondary schools between 5-15 years in Goa, Haryana, Gujarat and Manipur. The study found that 23% of children had very high BP. High BP was most common among students in Manipur (29%) followed by Haryana (26.5%), Gujarat (15%) and Goa (10%).
Hypertension in childhood can lead to early onset of heart attack, stroke and kidney failure in adulthood and so there is an urgent need to conduct periodical check-ups.
The second study conducted by Prof C Venkat S Ram and colleagues across 414 centres in India showed one-fourth of the study subjects used computers every day with a mean duration of 2 hours 30 min. The mean duration of smartphone usage per day was 5 hours 30 min. The study found a significant association between dangerous BP levels and the overuse of gadgets. A significant association was also seen between alcohol consumption and the prevalence of hypertension.
High blood pressure is a major public issue and its prevalence is expected to increase considerably in the coming years. In 2000, the estimated number of adults living with high BP globally was 972 million.
This is expected to increase to 1.56 billion by 2025. Increased BP was the cause of an estimated 9.4 million deaths in 2010. Hypertension is a leading risk for fetal and maternal death, dementia and kidney failure.
Hypertension is also a public health epidemic. Approximately 4 in 10 adults over the age of 25 have hypertension. An estimated 10% of the health care spending is directly related to increased blood pressure and its complications.
Studies from various parts of India have reported a high prevalence of hypertension with 207 million persons with suffering from it. The prevalence of hypertension in Kerala is 35-45%. Among them, 55% are existing while 45% have been newly diagnosed. It was found that among those treated; only 33.9% had their BP controlled.
Behavioural factors play a major role in increasing blood pressure. An unhealthy diet is estimated to be related to about half of hypertension. About 30% of the incidence of BP is related to increased salt consumption, and about 20% related to low dietary potassium, low fruit and vegetables.
Dr George Thayil is a senior consultant cardiologist with Lourdes Hospital, Kochi.
(Views expressed are his own)