The World Health Organization (WHO) published the Global hypertension report. Key findings summarized in a release reveal that nearly 1.4 billion people experienced hypertension last year, but many are not addressing the disease.
Additional key findings:
Less than half (28%) of low-income countries have access to hypertension medicines recommended by WHO.
About half of the surveyed countries and territories “have national hypertension control rates below 20%.” Most of these patients live in low- and middle-income countries, according to WHO.
Inadequate prevention efforts, surveillance, and treatment, staffing shortages, not enough blood pressure monitoring devices, cost, and supply chain issues were spotlighted by WHO as obstacles to hypertension management.
Bangladesh, the Philippines, and South Korea have all made strides in their countries’ hypertension care.
WHO also lists recommendations for managing hypertension in the report. They hope countries will utilize it and include the disease in universal health coverage campaigns. They said, “Implementing the measures recommended in the report could prevent millions of premature deaths and ease the massive social and economic toll of uncontrolled high blood pressure.”
