Hypertension: Silencing The Silent Killer!

“Thus, by the time symptoms of hypertension occur, the damage would have been irreversible. Often, the first incident which brings the high blood pressure to notice may be a heartattack, a full blown heart-failure, a paralytic stroke or a fatality itself. It is for this reason that hypertension is called a silent killer.”

- Dr Binoy John

Dr. Binoy John MD DM (CARDIOLOGY) FCSI FACC FESC FSCAI FAPSIC Senior consultant interventional cardiologist & specialist in heart failure & advanced cardiac diseases, Chennai Visiting Consultant: Dr Rela Institute & Medical Centre, Chennai Credence Hospital, Trivandrum Email: [e-mail]

Hypertension or high blood pressure is called a ‘silent killer’. It affects more than 1.1 billion people globally and in India it is estimated that over 200 million people are affected by hypertension, with the prevalence being more in men than in women, affecting 1 in every 4 men and 1 in every 5 women. Undetected and left untreated, it is a major cause for premature death and also disability from stroke (commonly known as paralysis). In India hypertension is estimated to cause more than 1.6 million deaths every year. Alarmingly, as many as 80% of the people with hypertension globally, do not have their blood pressure (BP) under control.

What is hypertension?

The work of the heart is to pump blood to different parts of the body. The blood pumped by the heart is supplied to various organs and tissues of the body through tubes or vessels called arteries. As blood flows through these arteries it exerts a force on the walls of these arteries and when this pressure is higher than normal, it is called hypertension.

How is hypertension graded?