under the World High Blood Pressure Dayl, which is commemorated on May 17, the Argentine Society of Arterial Hypertension (SAHA) announced the results of its traditional campaign ‘Know and Control your Blood Pressure (CyC), an initiative that promotes the measurement and control of a risk factor that is considered the main trigger for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack or stroke (CVA) and also kidney failure, as well as being the main cause of death and disability worldwide.
Of the total of 50,971 people over 18 years of age (average age 54.8 years) who approached one of the measurement posts of the blood pressure of the SAHA between 5/17 and 9/14, 2022, it was observed that 6 out of 10 were hypertensive (60.2%), of which 1 in 4 (26.5%) were unaware of their condition, and of those with diagnosis of the disease, 4 out of 10 (40.6%), despite being under treatment, did not have their hypertension under control. While 3% directly was not even treated.
In summary, from the surveys in people with an average age of 54.8 years of the campaign Know and Control your Blood Pressure 2022 of the SAHA, out of all hypertensives (60.2%) less than 1 in 3 (31.4%) had their disease under control.
“Strikingly, year after year, the results of this survey show that the parameters do not improve, and the level of hypertensive patients without diagnosis or who do not have their disease well controlled continues to be very high,” said the Dr. Nicolas RennaUniversity Cardiologist, MD, President of the SAHA.
Awareness campaign
The 2023 edition of the CyC campaign begins this same May 17, World Hypertension Day, and it runs until September 14 (9/14), which is the date established by the SAHA itself due to its relationship with blood pressure figures of 140/90 mmHg, a value from which it is considered ‘hypertension’. The invitation is wide, and includes all those over 18 years of age who want to know their blood pressure level and come to the measurement posts established by the SAHA on public roads, generally in the vicinity of hospitals and medical centers.
From the SAHA they emphasize that the values consigned by the survey They should not be taken with statistical criteria, because it does not have a design that allows it to be given that rigor, but rather it is an initiative that aims to raise awareness about the importance of measurement. However, they acknowledge, it is still an indicator of high underdiagnosis and lack of existing control.
Six out of ten Argentines suffer from hypertension and many do not know it
The activity is part of an international campaign led by the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) and the World League against Arterial Hypertension (WHL) and, among others, this year in our country it has the support of the Upjohn division of Pfizer.
“Beyond participation in the survey, which is always valued, we are interested in conveying the importance of people knowing their values, and that those who already have a diagnosis of hypertension also monitor themselves at home with automatic, digital, and validated blood pressure monitors , which are the most recommended devices,” insisted Dr. Dr. Marcos Marincardiologist specialist in Arterial Hypertension, former President of the SAHA and Coordinator of the Campaign ‘Know and Control your Blood Pressure 2023.
Guidelines for Measuring Blood Pressure
A recent expert consensus published in the scientific journal ‘The American Journal of Medicine’, established guidelines for measuring blood pressure in the office. These include, among others, that it be performed with automatic blood pressure monitors, since it eliminates the human error associated with manual devices (hearing deficiencies, rounding) and requires less training. They also minimize interactions between the patient and the healthcare professional, reducing distractions during the preparatory and measurement phases, while allowing the professional to perform other tasks during the measurements.
“However, the consensus itself makes it clear that the best measurements are those carried out outside the clinic, at home, and that the guidelines can be fully extrapolated. That is why we do not tire of insisting on home controls: few diseases can be detected in a way as simple as with a simple home measurement by the individual himself; in the event that after 3 consecutive measurements values equal to or greater than 140/90 mmHg are obtained, medical consultation will be imperative to establish a comprehensive program of treatment,” said the Dr. A.S. Paul Rodriguezmedical specialist in Cardiology, Internal Medicine and Arterial Hypertension, Secretary of the SAHA.
“Treatment includes periodic measurements and changes in eating habits and physical activity, but in the vast majority of cases, people with hypertension will need the indication of 1, 2 and even 3 medications to keep their blood pressure levels under control. ; Ideally, we recommend those that include more than one drug in the same capsule or tablet, since the fewer the number of doses, the greater the degree of compliance by the patient”, completed the Dr. A.S. Diego Marquez, nephrologist, treasurer of the SAHA.
“Another topic that we insist on from the SAHA is the systematic measurement of blood pressure at every opportunity that the doctor has with his patient in his office, even in those specialties that are not so related to the clinic or to cardiology, we know that unfortunately this control is not carried out on many occasions”, completed the dr. Marin.
The magnitude of cardiovascular diseases as a whole can be seen in the latest vital statistics report from the National Ministry of Health, which records in 2021 a total of 107,403 deaths attributable to diseases of the circulatory system, including hypertensive, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, other heart disease and other diseases of the circulatory system. They represent more than 1 in 4 (26.1%) of deaths from known causes in our country.
A nationwide study revealed that 60.2% of those analyzed suffer from AHT
While, in the last National Survey of Risk Factors, released in 2019 by the same health portfolio, it is stated that 1 in 3 Argentines over 18 years of age (34.6%) had high blood pressure.
“A large part of the problem lies in the fact that for the most part hypertension does not hurt or give visible symptoms, but it is a silent enemy that advances in our body causing significant damage and potentially serious consequences. Once again, our CyC Campaign aims to bring information to the population, measure the maximum number of people we can do it, and contribute to increasing the level of knowledge so that more individuals can detect it early and carry out a treatment that has the disease under control,” concluded the dr Renna.
