KARACHI: More than 15 per cent of the country’s teenagers aged between 16 and 19 are suffering from high blood pressure owing to sedentary lifestyle, obesity, high salt intake, tobacco consumption, gaming addiction and physical inactivity, said health experts at a recent programme.

The event was organised in connection with the launch of the Discovering Hypertension Project, an initiative of PharmEvo in collaboration with five leading medical societies to screen one million people for hypertension by June 30, 2025, across Pakistan at 500 sites in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, the experts also pointed out that around 46pc of adults aged 18 and above had raised blood pressure, contributing to the burden of cardiovascular diseases in the country. Poor diet, lack of physical activity and high stress levels were referred to as key factors behind such prevalent condition.

Renowned neurologist and President of the Neurology Awareness and Research Foundation Prof Muhammad Wasey said hypertension or high blood pressure was a leading cause of stroke in Pakistan, which claimed over 400,000 lives annually in the country.

He termed air pollution, the highest per capita consumption of oil, the use of tobacco, in addition to high salt intake and physical inactivity, as leading causes of hypertension in the country.

“Physical inactivity, consumption of junk and processed food containing high sodium, and consuming nine grams of salt per day in addition to smoking, vaping and chewing tobacco are some of the leading causes of hypertension among Pakistani youth these days,” said Dr Somia Iqtidar of the Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine.

“Unfortunately, youngsters and adults are not aware that they have elevated blood pressure, which is silently damaging their blood vessels and vital organs including the heart, lungs, kidneys, and eyes, leading them to death,” she said.

She that “We should encourage people to eat simple food with low sodium, walk at least 40 minutes daily, avoid consuming processed foods and sugary drinks, and avoid smoking, vaping, and consuming tobacco in all its forms.”

“Air pollution is one of the causes of hypertension and resulting cardiac disease and stroke in Pakistan. Among children, the use of tobacco in the form of vaping and gaming addiction, which results in physical inactivity, are two major causes of elevated blood pressure,” she added.

President of the Pakistan Hypertension League Prof Nawaz Lashari, and Prof Fawad Farooq, general secretary of the Pakistan Cardiac Society also highlighted the impact of lifestyle choices such as unhealthy diets and lack of exercise on the increasing prevalence of hypertension and related cardiovascular diseases.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2024