Srinagar: Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, has become an escalating public health concern, silently impacting one in four adults. Often termed the “silent killer”, this condition frequently remains undiagnosed, yet its potential consequences can be severe, including heart attacks, strokes, and brain haemorrhages.
Despite its widespread prevalence, a large number of people with hypertension remain unaware of their condition. This lack of awareness hampers timely diagnosis and treatment, increasing the risk of serious complications.
Dr Mohammad Salim Khan, Head of the Department of Community Medicine at GMC Srinagar said, “Hypertension affects approximately one in four adults in our population. The majority of hypertensive patients are unaware of their condition, which can lead to cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes. Among those diagnosed, many do not take their medications regularly.”
He added, “Sedentary lifestyles, consumption of fast food high in salt, sugar, and oil, avoidance of physical activity, use of addictive substances like cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs and stress are major contributing factors to hypertension.”
Dr Khan advised the public to adopt positive lifestyle changes, including avoiding junk food, reducing salt, sugar, and oil intake, managing weight, and increasing physical activity through walking, running, outdoor games, or swimming. He stressed the importance of stress management and resolving conflicts within families and workplaces.
Dr Salim recommended that people over 30 years old should have their blood pressure checked annually, even if they are asymptomatic. Recognising that hypertension and pre-hypertension are increasingly seen among children and adolescents, he suggested that school health programs should include annual blood pressure screenings.
Dr Murtaza from GMC Anantnag highlighted similar concerns, saying, “Every third or fourth adult in our area has hypertension, but almost half of them are unaware of their condition, as hypertension often shows no symptoms during its course, apart from vague complaints attributed to other illnesses.”
He added, “Unfortunately, four out of five hypertensive patients do not keep their blood pressure under control, which can lead to severe consequences like heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure.”
Dr Murtaza said that lifestyle and dietary habits have drastically changed, with increased sedentary behaviour, high intake of salt, sugar, and fats, smoking, and substance abuse contributing to rising hypertension rates, even among school-going children.
“While the recommended maximum salt intake is five grams per day, a Kashmiri typically consumes around 10-15 grams daily,” he said. “Younger individuals, including children and adolescents, are increasingly affected, putting them at risk of early-onset diseases.”
The doctor called for hypertension education programmes in schools, colleges and workplaces, focusing on behavioural and dietary modifications.
“Regular physical activity—such as daily walking—reducing salt, sugar, and fats, avoiding smoking, alcohol, and drugs, coupled with a healthy home and work environment, health counseling, routine blood pressure checkups, and strict adherence to medications, can significantly reduce the burden of hypertension and promote healthier living,” Dr Murtaza added. (KNO)
‘Over half of J&K pre-hypertensive’
Hypertension is silently affecting Jammu and Kashmir, with recent data revealing that only 36% of women and 31% of men in the Union Territory have normal blood pressure levels.
They said a large portion of the population is already in the pre-hypertensive stage, which increases their risk of developing full-blown hypertension if preventive measures are not adopted.
According to information from the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), 11% of women and 10% of men aged 15–49 in J&K are living with hypertension. Alarmingly, 57% of the population falls into the pre-hypertensive category—a warning sign that calls for immediate attention.
The risk of high blood pressure escalates with age. Among youth aged 15–19, only 3% are hypertensive, but this figure rises steadily with age—4% in the 20–24 age group, 7% in 25–29, 8.5% in 30–34, 14% in 35–39, 20% in 40–45, and reaching 24% in the 45–49 age bracket, the data reveals.
Similarly, the proportion of people with normal blood pressure declines from about 60% in the 15–19 age group to just 17% among those aged 45–49. Conversely, the percentage in the pre-hypertensive stage increases from 40% in the youngest group to 62% in the oldest.
Urban areas report slightly higher hypertension rates. Approximately 10.3% of women in urban J&K are hypertensive compared to 9.7% in rural areas. The pattern is similar among men.
Data also shows that 7% of women suffer from Stage 1 hypertension, 1% from Stage 2, and less than 1% from Stage 3. Additionally, a small percentage of women—around 0.3%—are on medication despite having normal readings. Among men, 8% have Stage 1 hypertension, 1% Stage 2, 0.2% Stage 3, with some on medication despite normal blood pressure.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, occurs when the force of blood against artery walls is consistently too high. It is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, kidney problems and brain disorders, and is a leading cause of premature death worldwide.
Key risk factors include unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, alcohol and tobacco consumption, and being overweight or obese.
Health experts advise people to adopt healthier lifestyles, undergo regular blood pressure screenings and seek timely medical intervention to prevent serious complications. (KNO)
