High Blood Pressure Not Given Enough Attention in US

A report by the Institute of Medicine has said that high blood pressure is a neglected disease in the US

A report by the Institute of Medicine has said that high blood pressure is a neglected disease in the US. It added that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must play an active role in increasing awareness about the condition and also guiding doctors to treat it aggressively.

Committee chair David Fleming, who directs Public Health for Seattle and King County in Washington said the disease was easy to diagnose and inexpensive to treat as well. "Yet despite that, one in six deaths in the United States is due to hypertension, and it costs our healthcare system $73 billion each year in expenses," he added.

High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure or hypertension is defined as a blood pressure of above 140 mm Hg (systolic) and or 90mm Hg (diastolic).

The report said that high blood pressure could be reduced by as much as 22 percent by taking simple steps including reducing salt in the diet, eating more fruits and vegetables. Dr Fleming said despite the relatively simple message that needs to be conveyed, just $50 million was spent by CDC on prevention programs that included hypertension.

The report also said that reducing salt intake from 3,400 milligrams a day to 2,300 milligrams a day could reduce healthcare costs by $17 billion.

Source-Medindia
RAS

High Blood Pressure | Hypertension - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment
High blood pressure or hypertension is a chronic condition, which usually lasts a lifetime once it is developed.

Anxiety Disorder - Types - Causes - Symptoms - Diagnosis - Treatment - FAQs
Anxiety disorder involves excessive worry about actual circumstances, events or conflicts. Anyone can develop this disorder. Genes may play a role.

What is a heart attack / How to prevent heart attacks
Heart attack is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply. Simple guidelines to avoid heart attack are listed.