High blood pressure is a substantial health risk in Morocco, affecting 35% of individuals aged 30-79 years, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) first-ever report of the global impact of high blood pressure released on Tuesday.
According to the research, both men and women are susceptible to the condition, which as of 2019 afflicted 35% of males and 36% of women aged 30-79.
Worldwide, the picture is also extremely serious. “Every hour, more than 1,000 people die from strokes and heart attacks,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, President & CEO OF Resolve to Save Lives. Most of these deaths are caused by high blood pressure, and most could have been prevented.”
According to the WHO report, four out of five people with hypertension are not adequately treated, which could result in a whopping 76 million deaths between 2023 and 2050.
Globally, one in every three individuals suffers from hypertension. This frequent and fatal illness causes stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney damage, and a variety of other health issues.
Between 1990 and 2019, the number of persons around the world living with hypertension (defined as blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or above or people using hypertension medication) more than quadrupled, from 650 million to 1.3 billion.
Better treatment of hypertension patients to levels seen in high-performing nations might avert 76 million fatalities, 120 million strokes, 79 million heart attacks, and 17 million occurrences of heart failure between now and 2050, WHO suggested.
While some people may require medication to adequately treat hypertension and prevent associated diseases, making changes in one’s lifestyle, such as eating a better diet, stopping smoking, and being more physically active, can all help reduce blood pressure for many others.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that, “Hypertension can be controlled effectively with simple, low-cost medication regimens, and yet only about one in five people with hypertension have controlled it.” He warned that treatment programs for the condition “remain neglected, under-prioritized and vastly underfunded.”
The study is being released during the United Nations General Assembly’s 78th session in New York, which is addressing the world’s progress toward the UN’s Sustainable Development targets, including health targets on pandemic preparedness and response, eradication of tuberculosis, and achieving universal health coverage for all people.
The study stressed the necessity of implementing WHO-recommended effective hypertension management, which includes five components: practical dose- and drug-specific treatment and management plans; regular and uninterrupted access to affordable medication; multi-team-based treatment; patient-centered services; and user-centered, simple information systems for recording essential patient data and reducing the burden of health care worker data entry.
“Good hypertension care is affordable, within reach, and strengthens primary health care,” Dr. Frieden asserted. While the challenge now is to go from “within reach” to “reached,” he said that this will require the “commitment of governments around the world.”