The Regional Alliance for Hypertension Awareness (RAHA) recently launched a national hypertension awareness campaign, ‘The Silent Killer — Know your Number’, which focuses on decreasing the chances of heart attacks and strokes in the country caused by hypertension.
The campaign was organised as a response to the majority of people, especially women, who are unaware of their “numbers” which stand for their low/high blood pressure levels.
The campaign was organised as a response to the majority of people, especially women, who are unaware of their “numbers” which stand for their low/high blood pressure levels.
The launch event held in Sharjah Ladies Club was led by consultant physician and gastroenterologist Dr Suleiman Nayal of the Dubai Polyclinic.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly one billion people suffer from high blood pressure in the world.
“That means one in four people suffer from hypertension. It is the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes in the UAE. Despite the alarming rate of prevalence of hypertension in the UAE, many patients put themselves at risk of a heart attack or stroke and do not even know it. A person can feel okay one day, and then suddenly have a heart attack. That would be the first time he/she would learn she is suffering from hypertension,” said Dr Nayal.
A study carried out by the Jikei University School of Medicine in Japan and published this year revealed that the majority of heart attacks and strokes are preventable.
The study tested 3,081 people over a three-year period and showed that cardiovascular incidences could be brought down significantly if hypertension is kept under control.
The study raised medical concern internationally, as hypertension claims the lives of one in eight people worldwide (Statistical Fact Sheet: International Cardiovascular Disease Statistics, American Heart Association, 2004).
Even though the condition can be easily diagnosed and successfully treated, nearly 70 per cent of the people who have high blood pressure do not have it under control, says the doctor.
Factors behind hypertension such as obesity are linked to a poor diet and lifestyle choices.
Due to the dominant sedentary lifestyle in the UAE, most people living in the country fall under this category. Although most people know the importance of maintaining good health to control hypertension, such as eating a well-balanced meal with less dietary salt, exercising for 30 minutes each day, managing stress, and quitting smoking, RAHA officials underline that very little has been done.
Dr Nayal encourages adults to have their blood pressure checked regularly and continue to take their medicines even after blood pressure level has stabilised.
“In conjunction with modifying their lifestyle, the patients should seek medical treatment. Even after the blood pressure has come down, they should continue to take the medication to maintain a healthy BP level,” added Dr Nayal. Source
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