BLUF

In 2015 hypertension caused the death of 8.5 million people globally, but most people with this condition go untreated because they are unaware that they have it.

Summary

Researchers say smoking, poor diets and obesity are contributing to A worldwide increase in Hypertension  defined as:

  • A risk factor for many health conditions, including kidney disease, stroke and heart disease.
  • Easy to diagnose and inexpensive to treat.
  • Referred to as a “silent killer” because most people show no symptoms.

This article goes on to make the following points:

  • In 2019, nearly half the people with Hypertension were unaware that they had the condition.
  • Most of the increases occurred in low and middle-income countries.
  • High-income countries showed improvements in treatment, particularly Canada, Iceland, and South Korea.
  • Middle-income countries, such as Costa Rica, Kazakhstan and South Africa, showed significant progress.
  • However, the study found only a slight improvement in most sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania.
  • In these countries, less than 30% of people with Hypertension received treatment in 2019. Overall, fewer than 10% were managing their blood pressure.
Learn more about the global increase in people with high blood pressure.

References