Hypertension is one of the major Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) which affects 14 per cent of the adult population in Bangladesh.
The information was revealed in 'Bangladesh Health Watch Report' under the title 'Non-Communicable Diseases in Bangladesh: Current Scenario and Future Directions.'
The report said that around 14 per cent of Bangladeshi adults suffer from hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension is more than double in the semi-urban population (24 per cent) compared to that in the rural population (11 per cent)," it added.
"Hypertension is an increasingly important medical and public health problem. High incidence of metabolic syndrome and lifestyle-related factors like obesity, high salt intake and less physical activity may play an important role in causing the problem," Director General of Directorate General of Health Services Professor Dr Abul Kalam Azad said.
In the world, hypertension significantly contributes to the burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), stroke, kidney failure, disability, and premature death, he said.
Hypertension which is also known as high blood pressure is not usually something that people can feel or notice and it can go undiagnosed because there are usually no symptoms. As a result, it can be a cause of kidney damage, stroke or heart attack.
"Therefore, it's important to get your blood pressure checked regularly," suggested Dr Mushtaque Chowdhury, convener of Bangladeh Health Watch.
Emphasizing on having healthy lifestyle, he said, "Healthy lifestyle can help prevent hypertension and reduce risk of high blood pressure-related health problems in the future."
Doctors suggested maintaining a healthy weight, having balanced diet, controlling salt intake, doing physical exercise regularly and monitoring blood pressure frequently, reports BSS.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 17 million deaths occur worldwide due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), of which hypertension alone accounts for 9.4 million deaths and 80 per cent of the CVD-related deaths occurred in the developing countries.