KARACHI: With more than 40 per cent prevalence of hypertension in Pakistani population, experts have warned that individuals as young as 16-18 years are now being diagnosed with the serious medical condition and blamed the growing consumption of ultra-processed foods, salt and sedentary lifestyle for the problem.

They say that the lack of physical activities in youngsters is inviting trouble and the situation demands immediate action both from individuals and the health authorities.

They believe that growing number of people with hypertension or elevated blood pressure are always at risk of other diseases which often prove fatal.

“Frankly speaking, we are seeing a kind of surge in hypertension cases among young adults [in Pakistan] and it’s primarily because of sedentary lifestyle characterised by physical inactivity, poor dietary habits, excessive salt and sugar intake, and smoking,” said Dr Junaid Patel, professor of medicine at Indus Hospital Karachi.

Processed food, salt, sugar and sedentary lifestyle blamed for the serious problem

“It’s alarming to witness that individuals, as young as 16 or 18 years, are experiencing dangerously high blood pressure levels. That can lead to stroke and heart attack. We need a massive drive in the country for discovering hypertension in Pakistan. Both the public and private sectors must join hands in identifying and effectively treating people suffering from hypertension.”

According to a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people living with hypertension (blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher or taking medication for hypertension) doubled between 1990 and 2019, from 650 million to 1.3 billion. Nearly half of people with hypertension globally are currently unaware of their condition.

In Pakistan, hypertension prevalence is 44% compared to 33% globally, WHO says, adding that around 56% of hypertensive patients in Pakistan remain undiagnosed.

Among diagnosed patients, 65% are not receiving any treatment at all.

Quoting the latest data, patron of the Pakistan Hypertension League (PHL) Prof Muhammad Ishaq says there are around 33.2 million people with hypertension in Pakistan, and it is believed that of them around 18.59 million are undiagnosed.

“Only 5.11 million are currently receiving treatment for hypertension, and of them, just 1.61 million have their hypertension under control,” he informed.

He blamed the lack of awareness among the masses as the major cause of the high prevalence of hypertension in Pakistan and vowed to launch a massive drive in the coming month of May to screen people for hypertension and advise them to improve their lifestyle to control their blood pressure.

“We are going to involve nurses, healthcare workers, and common people in our discovering hypertension drive in May 2024,” he said and urged people to adopt a healthy lifestyle, reduce salt intake, exercise daily, and avoid smoking to live a healthy life.

Dr Akram Sultan, renowned cardiologist, says high salt intake mainly in northern parts of the country is another reason for rising arterial hypertension.

Agreeing that the younger population was becoming hypertensive, he said a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and physical inactivity were major causes of high blood pressure and called for awareness at school levels in the country to diagnose people with hypertension.

“We need mass awareness and frequent screening campaigns in Pakistan to diagnose people with hypertension. Every person going to a doctor, even for diarrhoea or a mental health issue, should be screened for hypertension,” he suggested.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2024