High blood pressure – the silent killer that causes death and disability

The information was announced by MSc. Dr. Nguyen Thi Viet Nga, Head of International Department, Hanoi Heart Hospital, at 2nd Cardiology Scientific Conference 2024, organized by the Hanoi Cardiovascular Association in collaboration with Hanoi Heart Hospital on September 20. This is an opportunity for doctors to update knowledge, exchange and share experiences in diagnosing and treating cardiovascular diseases.

Hypertension is a common disease in the community with 25% of the population suffering from the disease. This is a condition of persistent increase in resting systolic blood pressure (≥ 130 mmHg) or resting diastolic blood pressure (≥ 80 mm Hg), or both.

“High blood pressure is a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality,” said Dr. Nga.

This is the leading cause of stroke. Recently, major hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have received many people aged 20-30 with cerebral hemorrhage, leading to death or disability, the cause of which is not knowing they have high blood pressure or being subjective about this disease.

Long-term uncontrolled high blood pressure can cause complications in the heart, leading to myocardial infarction, heart failure, and arrhythmia. In the kidneys, high blood pressure causes acute kidney damage, chronic kidney disease, and eventually leads to end-stage chronic kidney failure requiring regular dialysis. The disease can also cause vision loss, blindness, atherosclerosis leading to leg pain when walking, even ulcers, necrosis requiring amputation, causing disability. High blood pressure can also be the cause of erectile dysfunction, especially if accompanied by diabetes and smoking.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 46% of patients do not know they have high blood pressure, and only 1/5 of patients can control it. Meanwhile, the higher the blood pressure, the higher the risk of death. Therefore, patients need to be treated early and regularly. The goal is to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events.

Currently, the main treatment for high blood pressure is medication combined with lifestyle changes.

At the conference, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Sinh Hien, Director of Hanoi Heart Hospital, Chairman of Hanoi Cardiovascular Association, also recognized that cardiovascular and metabolic diseases are one of the complex disease groups with high incidence in the community. The disease often leaves severe sequelae, reduces the quality of life of the patient, and causes a burden on the family and society.

In the context of the rapid increase in the number of people with hypertension and metabolic syndrome in Vietnam, primary health care workers must improve their awareness and understanding to diagnose and treat early, as well as prevent and reduce the rate of people with the disease and complications. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen treatment measures, promote early medical services for people through online systems, and reduce the burden on upper-level hospitals.

To prevent high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease in general, patients need to follow a low-salt diet, not drink alcohol, and not smoke. Exercise and be active for at least 30 minutes a day and at least 5 days a week. Patients need to monitor their blood pressure at home, take medication as prescribed by their doctor, and get enough sleep. Do not use medication arbitrarily, avoid stress. Have regular health check-ups every 6 months to detect early abnormalities in the body and promptly treat them.