2023-05-11 23:25:18
1 in 6 adults who live in the countries of the Americas region suffer from hypertension. Which means that currently, about 180 million people have complications of high blood pressure.
As age advances, these figures increase, because it is estimated that 50% of the population over 65 years of age is already hypertensive, warned Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)in a virtual press conference from Washington.
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Who is most vulnerable to suffering from hypertension?
Jarbas Barbosa explained that in the sector between 30 and 79 years, more than 30% of men do not know that they have this type of disease called “silent” because it has no symptoms.
In the case of women, 25% are not aware that they suffer from high blood pressure, but in general, in both sexes, even if a diagnosis has already been received, there is no access to adequate medical care.
“Of those who know it (that they are hypertensive) only 60% receive treatment and only about 30% of them are controlled. This is serious because undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension can lead to myocardial infarction, heart failure, cardiovascular accidents, kidney failure and blindness,” he said.
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How to prevent hypertension?
Therefore, Jarbas Barbosa stressed that it is imperative that the governments of the region ensure equitable access to medical care for hypertension, which could save around 420,000 lives a year.
He summoned them to join the “Hearts” initiative, a PAHO model for the management of cardiovascular risk, promoting a better lifestyle for the population.
“PAHO recommends a healthy lifestyle that includes 30 minutes of physical activity a day, 5 days a week. Reduce your salt intake to less than 5 grams per day, increase your intake of fruits and vegetables, and work to maintain a healthy weight and a body mass index of less than 25%,” said the PAHO director.
With information from Patricia Rodríguez Calva
If you are interested in knowing more about your heart, for example, heart attacks, we invite you to watch the following video.
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