Be in Touch with Blood Pressure this World Hypertension Day
SIRSA NEWS
18th May, 2018
Pictures
and Videos: GS Mann, Amar Singh Jyani, Surender Sawant, Mukhtiar Singh Happy, Vikram Bhatia. Vikas Taneja
Be in Touch with Blood
Pressure this World Hypertension Day
On World Hypertension Day 16th May 2018 an Informative Press Interface was held in Sirsa. Dr Ajay Poonia MD and Dr Viswanath V. DM Cardiology from Grant Medical College Mumbai gave important insight and tips for care and prevention of Hypertension. Tarun Raheja from CIPLA as part of CSR activity conducted this meet. This Video was recorded on 16th May 2018 in Sirsa.
Hypertension, simply
known as high blood pressure (BP), is a common condition in which the BP value
exceeds a certain threshold, i.e. >130/80 mm Hg. Uncontrolled high BP is
dangerous as it can damage various vital organs such as the heart, kidneys or
brain and can led to early death. Worldwide, hypertension is the leading risk
factor for heart and blood vessel related diseases and is associated with at
least 7.6 million deaths per year. Even in India, the burden of hypertension
has reached alarmingly numbers with one in every three adult Indians suggested
to be hypertensive.
However, huge number of
individuals with the disease is not the only challenge in the management of
hypertension. In a study, it was observed that, in India, only 42% of urban and
25% of rural hypertensive individuals were aware of their hypertension status.
Of these hypertensive, only 38% of urban and 25% of rural patients were being
treated but just one-fifth of urban and just one-tenth of rural hypertensives
had their BP under control. Thus, unawareness of the condition is a big issue
in India and needs to be address for the better health of the country.
On the occasion of World
Hypertension Day, addressing the public, Dr Vishwanath V. said, “Hypertension
is a silent killer; it often has no warning signs or symptoms and many people
are unaware of its presence. Especially now after revision of hypertension
guidelines many people can be diagnosed as ones with ‘hypertension’ and they
will need lifestyle intervention and/ or drugs to manage their future risk. It
is, therefore, important to check your BP, especially if you are a smoker, or
are obese, or have an inactive lifestyle, or have a family history of
hypertension. The simple step of knowing your BP value can save your life.”
Management of
hypertension involves two basic approaches: improvement in lifestyle and intake
of antihypertensive drugs as directed by the physicians. Explaining these
points, Dr Ajay Poonia further said, “Lifestyle changes, though difficult, are
vital in the management of high BP. Small changes in your daily life like
including less salt in the diet, reducing intake of alcohol, and exercising
regularly have a big impact. Other important aspect in hypertension management that
is usually overlooked and which can be easily tackled is poor adherence to the
treatment prescribed by the doctor. Many patients stop taking medicines on
their own, without realizing that once you stop the medications the BP rises
again and starts damaging the important organs of the body. Poor adherence is
an important reason why many hypertension patients in our country do not have
their BP under control. Thus, if you have hypertension, take the medicines as
advised by your doctor, and check your BP regularly so that you and your doctor
are aware that the medicines prescribed to you are working for you, if not your
doctor can do necessary changes in your therapy.”
Thus, hypertension,
though a huge burden, could easily be tackled with conscious steps such as
regular BP check-ups, following the instructions given by the doctor and not
stopping medicines without consulting the doctor.
Risk factors for high BP
1. Obesity/overweight
2. Smoking
3. Inactive lifestyle
4. High intake of salt
5. High intake of alcohol
6. Family history of
hypertension
7. Stress
Lifestyle modification
for management of BP
1. Maintain normal body
weight
2. Quit smoking
3. Limit alcohol intake
4. Exercise regularly
5. Eat a healthy diet
6. Limit salt intake
