Hypertension in Africa: An Escalating Public Health Crisis

As the world marks World Hypertension Day on 17 May and observes May Measurement Month, the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) is calling on healthcare providers to make blood pressure checks a routine part of every patient visit. The SAMRC is also urging the government to integrate regular screenings into school health programmes, laying the foundation for a healthy generation and reducing the growing burden of hypertension in communities across the country.

- Prof Rabla Johnson and Dr Hannah Fokkens, Senior Scientists

Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, remains one of the leading risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and global CVD-related deaths. It causes a series of cardiovascular disorders, including ischemic heart disease, heart failure and stroke with 50-60% of strokes being attributable to elevated blood pressure. Clinically defined as a systolic/ diastolic blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg, hypertension affects an estimated 1.4 billion adults aged 30-79 worldwide, with more men likely to have hypertension than women before the age of 55.

Over the past two decades, the burden of hypertension has shifted markedly from high-income countries (HIC) to low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) with nearly two-thirds of affected individuals residing in LMICs. Regions such as South Asia, parts of Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have seen particularly steep increases. In South Africa (SA), hypertension affects 48% of women and 34% of men, according to 2019 data. More worryingly, there is a rising prevalence of childhood hypertension, often linked to early life exposure as well as increased rates of overweight and obesity. This suggests a looming public health crisis, especially given the long-term cardiovascular risk associated with early-onset hypertension.