Today is World High Blood Pressure (HBP) Day, a pathology that affects one in three adults worldwide -some one billion people- and increases the risk of suffering cerebrovascular or heart disease, such as stroke and myocardial infarction, and kidney failure. It is estimated that 17.3 million people died in 2008 from cardiovascular disease.
Also known as the “silent epidemic of the 21st century” because it is asymptomatic and most patients are unaware that they are suffering from it, it was responsible for the death of 7.5 million people in 2004, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and was directly responsible for 13% of global mortality.
The WHO dedicated World Health Day on April 7 to high blood pressure under the slogan “Measure your blood pressure, reduce your risk” in order to alert the population to the importance of measuring their blood pressure regularly to prevent the disease. WHO estimates that deaths directly related to high blood pressure already amount to nine million worldwide.
According to current criteria, optimal blood pressure figures are between 120 mm Hg maximum and 80 mm Hg minimum. Hypertension is considered to exist when the pressure is above 140 mmHg for systolic or maximum blood pressure (SBP) and below 90 mmHg for diastolic or minimum blood pressure (DBP). To prevent its onset, medical professionals recommend reducing salt intake, avoiding tobacco and alcohol consumption, following a balanced diet and regular physical exercise; all in all, leading a healthy lifestyle.
In Spain, the disease affects nearly 14 million people, more than 40% of the adult population, and many patients are unaware of why their blood pressure is out of control and that it can lead to major health problems.