Hyderabad: India is being dubbed the hypertension capital of the world. Check your BP regularly, said Dr C. Venkata S. Ram, director, South Asia Region, World Hypertension League which is having a partnership with the World Health Organisation.
He was speaking at a function to mark World Hypertension Day, which has the theme ‘Know your numbers’.
Dr Ram said that once the complications set in, patients develop symptoms and it may be too late to reverse the damage to vital organs. Therefore, the best way to know whether one has hypertension is to have Blood Pressure checked on a regular basis.
Dr Ram said the incidence of hypertension was as high as 36 per cent among adults in urban areas and 30 per cent in rural areas. Hypertension is responsible for 1.1 million deaths annually in India accounting for nearly 11 per cent of all deaths in the country. He said, “Every adult should know their BP, like knowing one’s weight. You must know your numbers. Get the BP checked. Otherwise, you are gambling with life.”
