PANAJI
Uncontrolled hypertension is a major cause of concern among elderly Indians. With about 45% of Indians aged 45 and above suffering from hypertension and another 40% with prehypertension, India has an impending crisis at hand.
A factsheet published by the B R Mittal, director, IMS, BHU (BHU) raises alarm not just on the high prevalence of hypertension in the adult population but also on the significant treatment and diagnosis gaps using data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI, Wave 1, published in January 2021), the Department of Community Medicine of the premier Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS), BHU and GRID council have undertaken a secondary analysis of the hypertension burden and control rates in the ageing population of the country.
Speaking at the release of this factsheet, professor B R Mittal, director, IMS, BHU stated, “Even as average lifespan has increased and survivorship is on the rise in India due to advancements in medical science and overall development, hypertension, the most prominent risk factor for heart attack, stroke and kidney disease, often remains underdiagnosed and undertreated in the population at large.”
Ashim Sanyal, COO, Consumer VOICE, emphasized that "Hypertension is a significant public health problem with no age bars. To overcome the problem consumers should be aware of the health harms of foods that are rich in salt, sugar and fat. Hypertension is a public health priority for NCD control and all the stakeholders including the policymakers should come forward in rolling out long term health check-up and health monitoring plans even at the PHC level. This is no longer an urban phenomenon.”
Dr Shekhar Salkar, oncologist and president NOTE, Goa, states, “Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), primarily ischaemic heart disease and stroke, are the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 17.7 million deaths annually. WHO estimates that India accounts for over a fifth of these deaths. Hypertension has also been identified as a major risk factor for adverse outcomes during the deadly Covid pandemic.”
With 40 per cent of the sample population studied by LASI found to be pre-hypertensive, there is a likelihood that the disease burden will rise even further in the coming years unless robust action is taken, warns Dr Salkar, adding, “Goa is also prey to hypertension. Prevalence of hypertension is at a high of 46.1% in Goa as per the LASI report.”
Those with a systolic (top number) reading of 120-139 mmHg or a diastolic (bottom number) reading of 80-89 mmHg, are considered prehypertensive “ a warning sign for developing hypertension in the future. The prevalence of hypertension was at 45% in Assam though the analysis revealed regional disparities.
The team had decided to study the LASI data for a critical analysis of this silent epidemic. Based on this analysis, it was noted with concern that 45 per cent of adult Indians were hypertensive and almost 30 per cent had high blood pressure at any point of time for want of diagnosis and/ or control.
The factsheet recommends that Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) of the government of India, become a focal and self-sufficient point for treatment with better availability of medicines and with further investment in technological intervention such as telemedicine.
In 2018, the government of India had announced that 1,50,000 AB-HWCs will be created across India to deliver comprehensive primary health care including maternal and child health care as well as treatment of non-communicable diseases. Envisioned to study India’s growing elderly population, LASI examines their wellbeing and needs to better inform policy measures and preparedness for population ageing.
