NEW DELHI: Hypertension, which continues to be a major public health challenge, is a silent killer that affects over 294 million people across the South-East Asia Region, the WHO said on Friday.
Modifiable behavioural risk factors such as tobacco and alcohol use, high salt intake, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, and mental stress continue to drive its prevalence, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) to mark the World Hypertension Day, observed annually on May 17.
“Hypertension remains a leading contributor to premature mortality from heart attacks and strokes in our region. Worryingly, the unmet need - defined as the gap between those with high blood pressure and those adequately diagnosed, treated, and controlled - remains as high as 88%,” said Saima Wazed, Regional Director for WHO South-East Asia (WHO-SEARO region).
“This indicates that nine out of every 10 people with hypertension are not receiving optimal care,” she added.
“With strong political will, community engagement, and innovative approaches, we can reduce the burden of hypertension and move closer to achieving our global goal of reducing premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by one-third by 2030.”
India has set a target of a 25% relative reduction in the prevalence of hypertension (raised blood pressure) by 2025.
To achieve this, the government has launched the Indian Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) to fast-track access to treatment services for over 220 million people in India who have hypertension.
Uncontrolled blood pressure is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) such as heart attacks and stroke and is responsible for one-third of total deaths in India. IHCI, launched in November 2017, is a multi-partner initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), WHO Country Office for India, and Resolve to Save Lives.
Wazed noted that the Region, which includes India, has made bold commitments to address the burden of hypertension through the endorsement of SEAHEARTS - Accelerating Prevention and Control of Cardiovascular Diseases in the South-East Asia Region.
SEAHEARTS has proven to be a powerful platform, enabling countries to scale population-level interventions that reduce tobacco use, decrease salt intake, eliminate trans-fat, and improve treatment coverage at primary health care, she added.
“By December 2024, the countries of our region collectively placed more than 46 million people with hypertension on protocol-based management in primary health care, as a step to bridge the unmet need,” she said.
Stressing that the members must now build on the momentum, she urged all stakeholders, including governments, health care professionals, academic institutions, civil society organizations, and development partners, to align around three core priorities, which includes strengthening risk factor reduction.
The WHO SEAO chief suggested that members should intensify and implement initiatives promoting healthy diets, physical activity, tobacco and alcohol control, and reducing salt and trans-fat consumption.
They should also accelerate integration of SEAHEARTS approaches in primary health care.
“Expand the integration of the WHO HEARTS technical package into every level of primary health care, with an emphasis on including healthy lifestyle counseling, uniform use of standardized treatment protocols, availability of validated blood pressure measuring devices, equitable access to medicines and robust monitoring systems,” she added.
Also, they should integrate services across sectors.
“Strengthen collaboration between health programs - including maternal and child health, mental health, and infectious disease services - to build a seamless continuum of care for hypertension and related NCDs,” she added.
“On this World Hypertension Day 2025, let us reaffirm our commitment to act strongly and collectively. Let us work together to ensure that every individual has the opportunity to live a longer, healthier life - free from the preventable complications of hypertension,” she said.
The day is observed to raise awareness and promote hypertension prevention, detection and control. This year, on its 20th anniversary, it is being observed with the theme, 'Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer'!