Should You Worry About Hypertension?

The answer to the question is a resounding YES.

Many people underestimate the seriousness of being hypertensive and the potential complications that could occur if the condition is left untreated.

Hypertension has been and still remains a medical challenge worldwide. Certain statistical data buttress the fact that hypertension is a disease to be taken seriously:

• Hypertension affects 25-30% of the total adult population worldwide and 60-70% of individuals over seventy years of age.
• Hypertension is directly responsible for 7% of adult deaths yearly. It is responsible for over a million strokes and heart attacks in the United States alone.
• Hypertension affects over 50 million Americans, the majority of whom are African Americans. This figure equates to one in every five adults in America. 30 million people in Africa are hypertensive according to the latest WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) estimate. One third of the number quoted above live in sub Saharan Africa. Hypertension in Africa has grown from a relative rarity to pandemic proportions over the past decade. Hypertension is now considered the greatest medical challenge facing Africans after AIDS.