kebaldwin
Fri, Aug-17-07, 10:35
Hypertension Could Affect 1.56 Billion by 2025
The number of people with high blood pressure could top 1 billion worldwide within 20 years, experts warn in The Lancet medical journal.
Currently, about one in four adults has hypertension, which increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and death, BBC News reported.
In 2000, there were 972 million people with high blood pressure. Unhealthy lifestyles and poor compliance with treatment could drive that number up to 1.56 billion by 2025.
An editorial in The Lancet noted that even though there are highly effective treatments, target blood pressure levels are rarely achieved, BBC News reported.
"Many patients still believe that hypertension is a disease that can be cured, and stop or reduce medication when blood pressure levels fall," the editorial said. "Physicians need to convey the message that hypertension is the first, and easily measurable, irreversible sign that many organs in the body are under attack."
http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=607444
The number of people with high blood pressure could top 1 billion worldwide within 20 years, experts warn in The Lancet medical journal.
Currently, about one in four adults has hypertension, which increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and death, BBC News reported.
In 2000, there were 972 million people with high blood pressure. Unhealthy lifestyles and poor compliance with treatment could drive that number up to 1.56 billion by 2025.
An editorial in The Lancet noted that even though there are highly effective treatments, target blood pressure levels are rarely achieved, BBC News reported.
"Many patients still believe that hypertension is a disease that can be cured, and stop or reduce medication when blood pressure levels fall," the editorial said. "Physicians need to convey the message that hypertension is the first, and easily measurable, irreversible sign that many organs in the body are under attack."
http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=607444