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Experts say a person’s blood pressure should be checked regularly.Westlight/Getty Images
  • An Australian study found that high blood pressure has been the leading risk factor for death in Australia for the past 30 years.
  • Experts say the risk of death from high blood pressure is likely to be similar in the United States.
  • High blood pressure, also known as high blood pressure, is called a silent killer because many people are unaware that they have high blood pressure and don’t necessarily understand how serious this condition can be.

Hypertension has been identified as a major risk factor for death in Australia.

the study Published in today’s magazine pro swan reported that hypertension (also known as high blood pressure) has been the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in Australia for the past 30 years.

Experts say these findings are likely to be replicated in the United States.

“This is consistent with what we already know in the U.S. that, if untreated, high blood pressure increases the risk of coronary artery disease, heart failure, kidney failure, stroke, peripheral artery disease, dementia, and aortic aneurysm. “This is just the beginning,” said the University of Southern California in California, which was not involved in the study. Today’s medical news. “Given the prevalence of high blood pressure, the underrecognition of this condition, the inadequate treatment of this condition, and the health risks it poses, we would expect similar results in the United States.”

Researchers noted that Australia lags behind other high-income countries in managing high blood pressure.

They said dietary factors, as well as smoking, were among the biggest risk factors.

US-based experts say that while the study only covers Australian experience, the data will be useful to clinicians around the world.

“As a global cardiovascular community, we are committed to improving the health of all people. More knowledge is the power to do that. Collaborating to understand risk factors, interventions, and outcomes. ‘s efforts can certainly inform both U.S. and global approaches,” said Dr. Megan Kamath, a cardiologist at UCLA Health in California who was not involved in the study. Today’s medical news.

“The latest data is [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] “This suggests that there is significant room for improvement in the management of hypertension,” she added. “Just about 1 in 4 adults In the United States, high blood pressure is under control. One of the biggest challenges with high blood pressure is that it’s often silent and people don’t realize they have it until something happens. We must continue to focus first on prevention, early detection, and follow-up to maintain control to improve our population health-based efforts. ”

In the United States, hypertension is considered a blood pressure reading of 1 or higher. 130/80mmHg.

Stage 2 hypertension is considered to be a reading of 140/90mmHg or higher.

Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg.

almost half 100 adults in the United States have high blood pressure. The number is nearly 120 million.

Only 22% of people have their high blood pressure under control. An additional 45% of U.S. adults with uncontrolled hypertension have blood pressure readings of 140/90 mmHg or higher. The number reaches 37 million people.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that high blood pressure was the primary or contributing cause of nearly 700,000 deaths in the United States in 2021.

“When I talk about high blood pressure, I use the term ‘primitive risk factor,’ and what I mean by that is that it’s a risk factor that can lead to diseases that can have a bigger impact, such as coronary heart disease.” That is to say. Or a stroke,” said Dr. Manoj Kesarwani, an interventional cardiac specialist at the University of California, Davis Health, who was not involved in the study. Today’s medical news. “In that sense, managing high blood pressure can help prevent patients from developing cardiovascular disease, the deadliest disease in the United States.”

Experts we spoke to Today’s medical news He states that controlling hypertension is a challenge not only at the individual level but also at the population level.

“At the individual level, blood pressure can be difficult to control due to poor lifestyle choices, limited education, and poor adherence to and follow-up of physician recommendations after diagnosis. At the population level “There are several additional challenges, including access to care and social determinants of health that influence the difficulty of controlling blood pressure at this level,” Kamath said.

Adding to the challenge is the reality that most people are unaware that they may be affected by hypertension.

“Hypertension is not in everyone’s heart or consciousness, Kesarwani says. “For example, there was a patient I worked with at the hospital. [who had] I suffered a stroke. He was only 38 years old and did not know that he had poorly controlled hypertension. So I wonder if he had a chance to intervene? ”

Limiting alcohol intake, not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and being physically active can help prevent and manage high blood pressure.

But experts say that even though high blood pressure is a major risk factor, people don’t always understand how serious it is and how important it is to manage it.

“The disease has been called a ‘silent killer,’ and this really sums up the problem,” Garg said. “High blood pressure is asymptomatic. Most people don’t know they have it. They don’t know about it, and even when they are made aware of it, they feel “okay” and don’t understand the need to fix it. This condition is chronic and often takes decades for the disease to become apparent. It is extremely important to highlight the personal health risks of high blood pressure in its early stages and promptly treat it with lifestyle changes and medication. ”

According to World Health Organization data, approximately 1.3 billion Adults around the world have high blood pressure, but nearly half of them are unaware that they are living with it.

“Hypertension is truly a global phenomenon. We see it in Australia. We see it in the United States. We see it in countries like Mexico. No matter where you live, you can’t escape high blood pressure.” Kesarwani said.

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