A giant global study finds the number of people over 30 with high blood pressure has doubled over the past 30 years, and more than half of them are not being treated for it.
That’s even though many cheap and easy treatments exist — from healthier diet and exercise to pills that safely lower blood pressure using a variety of mechanisms.
It’s also easy to measure, but many people are evidently not getting even this basic level of care in rich and poor countries alike, the study published in the Lancet medical journal finds.
The result: 8.5 million deaths every year, according to the World Health Organization.
High blood pressure causes stroke, heart failure and failure of other organs such as the kidneys.
I – Word Understanding
Mechanism – methods
Stroke – (brain attack) happens when blood supply to the brain is interrupted or reduced
II – Have Your Say
1, What do you know about high blood pressure? Are you worried about your blood pressure?
2, What are the known causes of high blood pressure in your country? What are the common ways to manage it? Do you believe it should be managed by taking lifetime medication (also known as maintenance medication) or by change of lifestyle?
3, Do you think your country has increasing cases of hypertension among younger people?
Why or why not?
4, Some studies are looking into stress as a possible contributor to high blood pressure.
What is your take on this?
826 Number of people with high blood pressure has doubled globally, large study finds
