Bahrain joins international community in marking World Hypertension Day today

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain attaches great importance to the prevention and control of non-communicable chronic diseases to reduce high blood pressure as a growing public health problem. This comes as the Kingdom will join the international community in marking the World Hypertension Day (WHD) today under the theme “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer”.

The event, which is observed on May 17 each year, aims to raise awareness on the importance of periodic measurement of hypertension, knowing its normal levels and controlling blood pressure to prevent dangerous health complications like heart diseases, stroke and renal failure.

The Ministry of Health is keen to organise many educational and awareness-raising activities in conjunction with the celebration of the World Hypertension Day by holding lectures and awareness-raising events, which in turn aim to educate the public about high blood pressure, explain its symptoms, methods of prevention and treatment, and how to reduce its complications.

Based on the 2018 National Health Survey statistics, a prevalence rate of 33.6%, and a comprehensive multi-national plan has been developed. The sectors are linked to goals and programmes that have time indicators and specific roles, and their implementation is supervised by the National Multisectoral Committee for Non-communicable Diseases where efforts are combined to achieve goals.

Serious disease

High blood pressure is considered a serious disease that greatly increases the risk of developing heart, brain, kidney and other diseases. It is one of the leading causes of premature death in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is estimated globally that about 1.28 billion adults aged between 30 and 79 have hypertensive blood pressure.

One of the global targets regarding the control of noncommunicable diseases is to reduce the prevalence of hypertension by 33% between 2010 and 2030. Variable risk factors for high blood pressure include eating unhealthy diets such as excessive salt consumption, a diet rich in saturated fats and trans fats, and low intake of fruits and vegetables, in addition to inactivity, tobacco and alcohol consumption, and being overweight or obese.

Unchangeable risk factors are a family history of high blood pressure, being over the age of 65, and co-morbidity with other diseases such as diabetes or kidney disease. High blood pressure is called the “silent killer”, as most people are unaware of the problem, and most of the time they don’t show any warning signs or symptoms.

Symptoms

For this reason, it is necessary to regularly measure blood pressure for early detection, and symptoms, if they appear, may include early morning headache, epistaxis, irregular heartbeat, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, or feeling tired, nausea, vomiting, confusion, anxiety, chest pain and muscle tremors.

To prevent and reduce the burden of high blood pressure, a set of healthy behaviours must be practised such as eating healthy food, maintaining physical activity, avoiding tobacco and alcohol use. It can be treated and controlled by reducing and managing psychological stress, checking blood pressure regularly, taking medication and therapeutic management of other health conditions.