Celebrating World Hypertension Day 2024

Hypertension is a life-threatening disease, also known as High Blood Pressure. It is a condition in which the force of the blood hitting against the walls of the arteries is too high. A normal blood pressure should not exceed 130 to 140 mmHg for the systolic and 80 to 90 mmHg for the diastolic pressure, depending on the age of the individual.

The systolic pressure refers to the pumping phase of a heartbeat while the diastolic pressure refers to the resting phase of a heartbeat. High blood pressure or hypertension is a silent killer, as it usually shows no symptoms and yet if left untreated, can result to heart failure, stroke and even death.

Globally, hypertension affects approximately 1.13 billion people, with an annual death of over 10 million people. In Nigeria, an estimate rate of 10692 people die annually from hypertension ranking Nigeria as 103 hypertensive country in the world (WHO, 2020).

Some of the major causes of this condition include obesity, unhealthy lifestyle choices, and lack of regular exercise, diabetes and even during pregnancy.The idea of celebrating World Hypertension Day was first conceived by World Hypertension League, which is an umbrella of about 85 hypertensive societies and leagues. The first World Hypertension Day was celebrated in 2005 and has been celebrated on the 17th of May ever since.

The theme of this year’s World Hypertension Day is tagged: Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer. This year’s theme is to promote the increased awareness of measuring blood pressure accurately, towards the control of hypertensive related diseases, especially in low to middle income areas.

Some NGO’s in Nigeria that help create awareness among the citizens against this silent killer include the Nigeria Heart Foundation, Health Emergency Initiative and International Society of Hypertension.

Some preventive measures to tackle this deadly condition include: checking one’s blood pressure regularly, adopting a healthy lifestyle, eating balanced diet, reduced salt intake, regular exercising, avoiding tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption.

The fight against hypertension is a fight for all. Let us join hands together to defeat this evil by creating necessary awareness and paying attention to the necessary things. Together, we can win this war.