High blood pressure

High blood pressure: Global total almost doubles in 4 decades

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The largest study of its kind reveals that the number of people worldwide living with high blood pressure has nearly doubled in the last 4 decades. The huge international effort also reveals a stark contrast between rich and poor countries.

The number of people living with high blood pressure, or hypertension, worldwide has grown from 594 million in 1975 to over 1.1 billion in 2015 – mainly because of population growth and aging – says the study, published in The Lancet.

However, while average blood pressure is high and rising in less affluent countries, especially in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, it has dropped to an all-time low in high-income nations like Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The authors say the reason for this contrast is not clear, but they suggest a major factor could be that people in wealthier nations enjoy better health overall and eat more fruits and vegetables.

Earlier diagnosis and control of hypertension is also more likely to occur in wealthier countries. Taken together, these factors also help reduce obesity, another risk factor for high blood pressure.

Childhood nutrition could be another reason, suggests Majid Ezzati, a senior author of the study and a professor at the School of Public Health at Imperial College London in the U.K., who notes:

“Increasing evidence suggests poor nutrition in early life years increases risk of the high blood pressure in later life, which may explain the growing problem in poor countries.”

High blood pressure major global killer

Blood pressure is the pressure of the blood in the blood vessels. It is assessed from two numbers measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg): systolic pressure and diastolic pressure.

Systolic pressure is a measure of the heart pumping blood. Diastolic pressure – taken when the heart rests between beats – measures the resistance to blood flow in blood vessels.

High blood pressure is defined as 140 mmHg systolic and 90 mmHg diastolic pressure or higher. This is normally shown as 140/90 mmHg.

Recent research suggests that the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases like ischemic heart disease and stroke doubles with every 20 mmHg systolic or 10 mmHg diastolic increase in people of middle age and older.

“High blood pressure is the leading risk factor for stroke and heart disease, and kills around 7.5 million people worldwide every year,” says Prof. Ezzati.

The condition is caused by various factors, he and his colleagues note in their paper.

These include diet (for example, eating too much salt and not enough fruit and vegetables), obesity, lack of physical activity, plus environmental factors – such as air pollution and lead exposure.

‘Major health issue linked to poverty’

For the research, the World Health Organization (WHO) teamed up with hundreds of scientists from all over the globe and looked at changes in blood pressure in every country in the world from 1975-2015.

They pooled and analyzed data from nearly 1,500 population-based measurement studies involving a total of 19 million participants.

This showed that of the whole world, South Korea, the U.S., and Canada have the lowest proportion of people with high blood pressure. The U.K. had the lowest in Europe.

The research also shows that in most countries, there are more men with high blood pressure than women. Worldwide, there are 597 million men with high blood pressure, compared with 529 million women.

The figures for 2015 show that more than half of adults with high blood pressure in the world live in Asia, including 226 million in China and 200 million in India.

Prof. Ezzati says high blood pressure is no longer a problem associated with wealthy countries but with poor countries. He says their findings show it is possible to achieve substantial reductions in rates of high blood pressure – as seen in the data from more affluent countries over the last 4 decades. He adds:

“They also reveal that WHO’s target of reducing the prevalence of high blood pressure by 25 percent by 2025 is unlikely to be achieved without effective policies that allow the poorest countries and people to have healthier diets – particularly reducing salt intake and making fruit and vegetables affordable – as well as improving detection and treatment with blood pressure lowering drugs.”

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/314155.php

Heart attack causes and symptoms are different in women

The causes of heart attacks and the warning symptoms that can signal the need for immediate medical attention are different in women than in men, according to a scientific statement issued today by the American Heart Association.

When women don’t recognize this, they may suffer worse outcomes, a fate that is even more likely in black and Hispanic women, according to the AHA.

The organization published its first comprehensive statement on gender differences in heart attack patients in its journal Circulation.

“Women seem to do worse for several reasons,” said Dr. Laxmi Mehta, the lead author of the recommendations and the director of women’s cardiovascular health at Ohio State University in Columbus.

Importantly, people don’t realize that while both sexes may experience chest pain before or during a heart attack, women may be more likely to have unusual symptoms instead, such as shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, and back or neck pain.

Then, when they do get to a hospital, women may be less likely than men to receive medications that help to prevent clots, decrease the heart’s workload and lower blood pressure or cholesterol.

“There is a lot at stake for women when there is a delay in treatment or lack of adherence to recommended therapies,” Mehta added by email. “Women face higher rates of being readmitted to the hospital, heart failure and death.”

Biology is also part of the problem.

Even though both women and men get heart attacks caused by blockages in the main arteries leading to the heart, the way the clots develop may differ, according to the scientific statement.

Men tend to have a more “classic” type of blockage where plaque ruptures off the artery wall, forms a blood clot and causes a complete halt of blood flow through the artery to the heart, said Dr. Sheila Sahni, chief fellow in cardiovascular disease at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles.

“Women, more often, tend to have a plaque erosion where smaller pieces of plaque break off, become exposed and cause the formation of smaller blood clots which may or may not cause total occlusions all at once, leading to a more subtle presentation,” Sahni, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.

In addition, women tend to be about a decade older than men when they suffer heart attacks, potentially making them frailer and more likely to suffer from other health problems such as diabetes that can make their treatment more complicated, Sahni added.

Risk factors also differ by gender, with high blood pressure more strongly associated with heart attacks in women than in men. For young women with diabetes, the risk for heart disease is four to five times higher than it would be for a similar young man.

Race, too, is an issue. Compared to white women, black women have a higher incidence of heart attacks in all age categories and young black women have greater odds of dying before they leave the hospital. Black and Hispanic women are also more likely to have heart-related risk factors such as diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure at the time of their heart attack.

Once a heart attack begins, the best way for women to minimize damage is to get help quickly, said Dr. Leslie Cho, director of the women’s cardiovascular center at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

“Time is muscle,” Cho, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email. “If women are diagnosed and treated later in the course of the heart attack, they can suffer from irreversible heart damage.”

Source: foxnews

Fat kids are more likely to have high BP

Fat children are at a greater risk of hyper-tension (high blood pressure) — generally assumed to be an adult condition that causes health problems, such as heart diseases.

Fat kids are more likely to have high BP

“We found that obese boys had a nearly six-fold increased risk of hyper-tension compared to normal weighing boys. In obese girls the risk was more than four times greater than their normal weight counterparts,” said professor Peter Schwandt from the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich in Germany.

The study included 22,051 children and adolescents from the PEP (Prevention Education Programme) Family Heart Study, a community-based observational study which was performed from 1994 to 2008 in Nuremberg, Germany.

In each participant, the researchers measured blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), skinfold thickness (SFT) and percent body fat (%BF).

The prevalence of elevated blood pressure increased in boys and girls as body weight went up.

The researchers also found increased risk of hyper-tension with elevated SFT, %BF measurements and abdominal adiposity.

The study was presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2014 in Barcelona.

Source: zee news

The Public Health Crisis Hiding in Our Food

hidden-sodium

If you have high blood pressure, you’re in good company. Hypertension afflicts 67 million Americans, including nearly two-thirds of people over age 60. But it isn’t an inevitable part of the aging process. It’s better to think of it as chronic sodium intoxication. And, as an important new study from Britain shows, there’s a way to prevent the problem — and to save many, many lives.

A lifetime of consuming too much sodium (mostly in the form of sodium chloride, or table salt) raises blood pressure, and high blood pressure kills and disables people by triggering strokes and heart attacks. In the United States, according to best estimates, excess sodium is killing between 40,000 and 90,000 people and running up to $20 billion in medical costs a year.

Americans on average take in about 3,300 milligrams of sodium per day, but experts recommend less than 2,300 milligrams — and less than 1,500 milligrams for people over age 50, black people, or those who already have hypertension, diabetes or kidney disease, which adds up to a majority of American adults. Either target is far below where most Americans are now.

The reason that nearly everyone eats way too much sodium is that our food is loaded with it, and often where we don’t taste or expect it. Of course ham and canned soup are full of salt, but so are many foods that are surprising: A blueberry muffin can have more than double the salt of a serving of potato chips. Even healthy-sounding food can pack heavy sodium loads. Two slices of whole wheat bread can have nearly 400 milligrams of sodium, as can two tablespoons of fat-free salad dressing. Eight ounces of V8 vegetable juice contains well over 500 milligrams. Many restaurant entrees have far more sodium than is recommended for an entire day. Applebee’s lemon shrimp fettuccine, at 5,100 milligrams, has more than twice as much.

Doctors warn people with high blood pressure to go on a low-salt diet, but that’s virtually impossible in today’s world, because nearly 80 percent of the sodium that Americans eat comes in packaged and restaurant food (whether it’s a bagel, a sandwich or a steak dinner). You can’t take it out. And nearly everyone, not just people with hypertension puzzling over food labels, should be taking in less sodium. The only way to prevent millions of Americans from developing high blood pressure is for companies and restaurants to stop loading up their food with sodium.

Health experts have been asking the food industry to do that for decades. It’s not easy, but it isn’t impossible either. Sure, we all like the taste of salt, but there is much that food companies can do without driving away customers. Often they add sodium for leavening or food texture rather than taste, when replacement ingredients are available. And sodium levels in similar popular foods made by different manufacturers often vary two- or threefold (for example, a slice of pizza can pack anywhere from between 370 and 730 milligrams), which suggests that many manufacturers can cut sodium levels in their foods sharply without hurting taste. When salt levels in food drop, people’s preference for salt also shifts down, so no one would notice a gradual reduction in sodium across all foods.

That’s exactly what Britain’s Food Standards Agency has done. It divided processed food into different categories, set salt-reduction targets in each category and then asked companies to meet those targets over time. And as they did that, from 2001 to 2011, sodium consumption by the British fell 15 percent.

The new study shows that this drop in salt intake has been accompanied by a substantial reduction in average blood pressure, a 40 percent drop in deaths from heart attacks and a 42 percent decline in deaths from stroke.

A few scientific critics have been arguing for years that reducing salt intake is risky because it might paradoxically increase mortality in some people receiving aggressive treatment for congestive heart failure, but the British data show at a national level what smaller studies project — that when sodium levels in everyone’s food drop, so does the number of people dying from heart disease and stroke.

Lower smoking rates in Britain no doubt are helping as well, but as the authors of the study point out, the fall in mortality echoes the success of Japan and Finland in earlier decades, both of which reduced sodium consumption from sky-high levels with focused government efforts and saw huge drops in heart attacks and strokes.

Problem can be traced to industrialized food industry which had managed to mass produce inexpensive food attractively packaged with extended…

Health experts I listen to say we should avoid all processed foods, eat plenty of fresh veggies, enjoy moderate amounts of fruit, try to eat…

Here in the United States, in 2010, an Institute of Medicine panel was so troubled by salt-caused deaths that it called for mandatory federal standards for sodium in food. But the question of whether the Food and Drug Administration should regulate salt is more complicated than it might seem at first. As an expert once told me, you’re never going to ban pickles.

The only way to regulate that I can see is to set maximum sodium levels within many different food categories. But that could backfire if the levels are set high and then the companies already making food with sodium below those levels take the new limits as license to increase to the maximum amount of sodium permitted. I believe that in the end we will need a combination of mandated maximums and a coordinated voluntary sodium-reduction program like that in Britain. But the voluntary plan should come first, to see how much sodium levels can be reduced that way.

There is absolutely no reason we can’t do an initiative similar to Britain’s on this side of the Atlantic now. Over the last four years, the New York City health department has led the National Salt Reduction Initiative, a network of over 90 health departments and national organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and Consumers Union, working with food companies to voluntarily cut sodium, using Britain as a model.

Twenty-one companies, including food giants like Kraft, Unilever and Subway, and many others like Mars and Goya, have joined, putting less sodium in common products like processed cheese and canned beans. But far more food companies are ignoring it, and the initiative got no commitments at all in 18 of 62 packaged food categories.

A proposal as important to human life as this needs the stature and resources of the federal government to bring the rest of the food industry along. The F.D.A. has been developing a new plan for a voluntary, coordinated, national initiative. Unfortunately, even though it is voluntary, the food industry is fighting it, and the plan is stalled.

Many people are unnecessarily on kidney dialysis, in stroke rehabilitation centers and dying because we are failing to act. Even modest reductions in sodium in food could save tens of thousands of lives and billions in health care costs every year. No one likes government mandates these days. But it’s high time the federal government starts to fix this problem by at least leading a voluntary initiative that we know will save many lives.

Source: New york times

Salt-reduction campaign led to decrease stroke, heart disease deaths

A nationwide campaign to reduce salt intake among people in the United Kingdom resulted in a drastic reduction in heart disease and stroke deaths among the population.

In 2003, the government in the U.K. launched a widespread effort to encourage companies to gradually reduce sodium levels in processed foods. Now, a new study in the British Medical Journal is showing the impact of this public health initiative.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 31,500 people participating in the Health Survey for England between 2003 to 2011. During the study period, levels of salt intake among the population decreased by about 15 percent. Over the same period, deaths from stroke decreased by 42 percent and deaths from coronary heart disease dropped by 40 percent.

Rates of smoking and overall cholesterol levels in the population declined over the same period, while produce intake and body mass index both increased. The researchers, from Queen Mary University of London, noted that the single largest factor contributing to the decline in deaths was decreased blood pressure among the population.

Some physicians noted that the U.K. has been far more proactive and successful at enforcing the reduction of sodium in foods, compared to the U.S.

“In the U.K., the political action group ‘Action on Salt’ worked with the government and the food industry to slowly wean the British populace off salt, with excellent results. Yet, our food industry has fought a similar action tooth and nail,” Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at UC San Francisco
Source: Fox news

Home Remedies for Managing High Blood Pressure

Exercising 30 to 60 minutes a day can help bring down your blood pressure numbers by 4 to 9 mmHg. If you’ve been inactive for a while, talk to your doctor about a safe exercise routine. Start out slowly by walking or riding a bicycle. Gradually add moderate intensity activities to your routine. Not a fan of the gym? Take your workout outside. Go for a hike, jog, or swim and still reap the benefits. The important thing is to get moving! The AHA also recommends incorporating at least two days of muscle strength training a week.

Following the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) can lower your blood pressure by as much as 14 mmHg. The DASH diet consists of eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, low-fat dairy, lean meats, and fish. Eliminate foods high in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol, such as processed foods, whole milk dairy products, fatty meats, and fried food.

Slow Down On the Salt
If you have high blood pressure, keeping your sodium intake to a minimum is vital. The AHA recommends limiting your sodium intake to less than 1,500 mg of sodium a day. That’s a little over half a teaspoon. One teaspoon of table salt has 2,400 mg of sodium! Table salt isn’t the only culprit when it comes to high sodium; processed food and many restaurant dishes tend to be loaded with sodium. Consuming too much sodium can cause the body to retain fluid, resulting in a sharp rise in blood pressure.

Lose Excess Weight
Weight and blood pressure go hand in hand. Losing just five pounds can help lower your blood pressure. It’s not just the number on your scale that matters, but the number of your waist size. The extra fat around your waist, called visceral fat, is troublesome because the fat tends to surround organs in the abdomen, which can lead to health issues including high blood pressure. Men should keep their waist measurement to less than 40 inches, while women should aim for less than 35 inches.

Nix Your Nicotine Addiction
Studies show that smoking a cigarette can temporarily raise blood pressure 10 mmHg or more for up to an hour after you smoke. If you’re a heavy smoker, your blood pressure can stay elevated for extended periods of time. People with high blood pressure who smoke are at greater risk for developing dangerously high blood pressure. Even secondhand smoke can put you at increased risk for high blood pressure and heart disease.

Limit Alcohol
Drinking a glass of red wine with your dinner is perfectly fine and may even offer heart health benefits when done in moderation. Drinking alcohol in excess, however, can lead to many adverse health issues, including high blood pressure. What does drinking in moderation mean?

Stress Less
In this hurried, multitasking society we live in, it’s hard to slow down and relax. It’s important to step away from your daily stress and take a few deep breaths, meditate, or practice yoga. Stress can temporarily raise your blood pressure, and too much of it can keep your pressure up for extended periods of time. Try to identify what’s triggering your stress, such as your job, relationships, or your finances, and find ways to fix the problems.

Source: health line

Sodium intake double in Bangladesh

As many as 12 million people suffer from high blood pressure in Bangladesh which is the main cause of heart attacks, brain strokes and kidney diseases, says a study

Excessive intake of sodium is resulting in serious health problems like high blood pressure, as people have been found to be taking more than double the required amount of sodium through salt.

As many as 12 million people suffer from high blood pressure in Bangladesh which is the main cause of heart attacks, brain strokes and kidney diseases, according to a survey conducted by National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute (NHFHRI).

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an adult man or woman should take only five grams of salt every day. The NHFHRI survey, however, found that in urban areas, people take 10.3 grams of salt a day, with males taking 11 grams and females 9.3 grams.

Findings of the survey was disclosed at a seminar organised by the NHFHRI at the institute’s auditorium in the capital yesterday. The seminar was titled “World salt awareness week-2014” while Dr Sohel Reza Chowdhury, Professor of the Department of Epidemiology and Research at NHFHRI, presented the keynote paper.

The keynote paper said heart attacks and strokes are the leading causes of death globally. Each year, 1.73 crore people die of these diseases while more than 80% of the deaths occur in lower and middle income countries.

In Bangladesh, the prevalence of non-communicable disease (NCD) is on the rise while heart attacks and strokes are the most common among the NCDs.

Health minister Mohammad Nasim spoke as the chief guest at the seminar. He said in order to ensure proper investigation into the incidents of deaths due to negligence of doctors, the government was planning to introduce new rules for Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC).

“BMDC will be given the power to cancel the registration of a doctor if the allegation of negligence against him is proved. The health ministry will sit with renowned and senior health professionals to discuss the issue,” he said.

The minister urged the authorities of big hospitals to provide the poor patients with special facilities.

Source: dhaka Tribune

High Blood Pressure Can Quietly Damage Kidneys

I thought I was a healthy 40-year-old until I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. My doctor began treating it as a stand-alone condition, without considering that high blood pressure is a major risk factor for kidney disease.

At first, I wasn’t even tested for kidney disease. But eventually, he gave me a urine test, and it was discovered that I had protein in my urine — one of the earliest signs of kidney damage. Apparently, my high blood pressure had damaged my kidneys.

Healthy kidneys filter out wastes and toxins, but my kidneys’ ability to do so began to decrease at an alarming rate. I continued to manage my blood pressure with medication and decided to make a few lifestyle changes, as well, that helped me avoid the progression of kidney disease to kidney failure.

I limited my salt intake, started eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, decreased the amount of meat I was eating and began swimming every day. I began to feel better, and when I went to the doctor, it turned out my kidney function had stabilized.

Please tell your readers that if they have high blood pressure they should be proactive and ask their doctor to check their kidneys. Early detection and lifestyle change can make a major impact on your health, as I have learned. — DUANE SUNWOLD, SPOKANE, WASH.

DEAR DUANE: It is generous of you to share your medical history in an effort to caution my readers. The National Kidney Foundation urges everyone to learn about these vital organs and whether they might be at risk.

The three major risk factors for kidney disease are: high blood pressure, diabetes and a family history of kidney failure. People who have these risk factors should ask their doctor to check their kidney function with a simple blood and urine test.

Readers, March is National Kidney Month, and March 13 is World Kidney Day. If you are at risk, schedule an appointment with your doctor. For anyone who needs more information, the National Kidney Foundation’s website is kidney.org.

DEAR ABBY: I’m a member of the clergy who enjoys studying for my ministry and doctoral work at a local coffee shop. Three men who go there every day have found out that I’m a minister, and they each want to talk with me while I’m there. Although all three are members of the same religion, none of them is affiliated with a church.

I have invited them to visit my worship services, as well as call the office and set up an appointment with me. I have also tried to diplomatically explain that I go to the coffee shop to study. One of them ignores it, another appears hurt and the third one gets offended. When they’re not around, I am productive. When they show up, they want me to be their chaplain.

Because of where I live, finding another coffee shop is not a viable option. How can I set a boundary with them and still do my studying there? Thank you. — Reverend in New York

Source:The Mercury

 

Giving blood pressure medications right after stroke not beneficial

A major study has found that giving patients medications to lower their blood pressure during the first 48 hours after a stroke does not reduce the likelihood of death or major disability.

The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

At least 25 per cent of the population has high blood pressure, which greatly increases the risk of stroke. Lowering blood pressure has been shown to reduce the risk of stroke. The study investigated whether there also would be a benefit to lowering blood pressure immediately after a stroke.

The study included more than 4,000 stroke patients in 26 hospitals across China who were randomly assigned to receive or discontinue blood pressure medications. At 14 days or upon hospital discharge, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups in mortality or disability.

Blood pressure often is elevated following a stroke.

“But in most cases, treatment is unnecessary because the blood pressure declines naturally over time, and lowering blood pressure may be contraindicated,” said stroke specialist Dr Jose Biller, chair of the department of neurology of Loyola University Medical Centre. “It is important not to over treat and cause low blood pressure because the most important objective is to maintain adequate blood flow to the brain.”

Dr Biller was a member of the study’s Data and Safety Monitoring Board. Dr Paul K Whelton, former president and CEO of Loyola University Health System, was chair of the monitoring board.

First author of the study is Dr Jiang He of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

The study is called the China Antihypertensive Trial in Acute Ischemic Stroke (CATIS). It involved patients who had suffered ischemic strokes, which account for about 85 per cent of all strokes. Such strokes are caused by blood clots that block blood flow to a part of the brain.

Source: India Medical Times

Three reasons why fast food is bad for you

Most people now flock to fast food every day due to hectic schedules in the fast-paced world, which is really unhealthy and dangerous for your health. Below are three reasons why eating fast food is bad:

Obesity: Junk food is a major contributor to obesity, which increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other chronic health problems. According to studies, kids who eat junk food regularly as part of their diet consume more fat, carbohydrates and processed sugar and less fiber leading to weight gain than those who do not eat fast food on a regular basis.

Bad cholesterol level: Since most of the fast foods contain high levels of saturated fat, eating these foods regularly can up the levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood. High levels of cholesterol can cause heart attack and stroke.These foods also contain trans fat, which is the worst type of fat. Trans fat is linked to increased levels of bad cholesterol in the blood.

Sodium: Many fast foods contain high levels of sodium, which can cause high blood pressure, obesity, osteoporosis, etc. We need to eat certain amount of salt every day but overconsumption is harmful for the body. Experts have linked bowel cancer to overconsumption of salt.

Source: Zee news