Online tool to manage blood pressure unveiled

HIGH blood pressure is one of the world's biggest health challenges, affecting as many as 1.3 billion and leading to around 10 million deaths per year.

- Kavita Bajeli-Datt @New Delhi

Now, a first-of-its-kind online tool built on data from nearly 500 randomised clinical trials in over 1 lakh people allows doctors to see by how much different medications are likely to lower blood pressure, a latest study published in the Lancet on Friday said.

The research said the Blood Pressure Treatment Efficacy Calculator could transform how the condition is managed, allowing doctors to choose a treatment for each patient based on the degree to which they need to lower their blood pressure.

This could be good news for India. In 2021, India had an estimated 315 million people with high blood pressure (hypertension), according to a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF).

Often described as a silent killer as it does not cause any symptoms on its own, it can remain hidden until it leads to a heart attack, stroke or kidney disease. Fewer than one in five people with hypertension have it under control.