World Hypertension Day is marked on May 17 every year. According to WHO, Hypertension is a ‘silent killer’. Blood pressure is the force exerted by circulating blood against the walls of the body’s arteries, the major blood vessels in the body. Hypertension is when blood pressure is too high.
In 2016, WHO and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the Global Hearts Initiative to support governments to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases.
Of the five technical packages that comprise the Global Hearts Initiative, the HEARTS technical package aims to improve the prevention and management of cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension detection and management. The five modules of the HEARTS technical package (Healthy-lifestyle counseling, Evidence-based treatment protocols, Access to essential medicines and technology, Team-based care, and Systems for monitoring) provide a strategic approach to improve cardiovascular health in countries across the globe.
Fifteen countries have started implementing the HEARTS technical package (Barbados, Bhutan, Colombia, Chile, China, Cuba, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Morocco, Nepal, Philippines, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Viet Nam). By scaling up protocol-based management, improving access to medicines and technologies, and better measuring outcomes, successes are already being achieved.
World Hypertension Day: Is young India at risk?
Hypertension in India:
The hypertension epidemic in India is complicated by the fact that a large proportion of individuals is unaware of their hypertension status.