International Society of Hypertension to Screen Undertreated Hypertension

To mark the World Hypertension Day, the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) and its joint initiatives, plans to conduct a mass screening of undetected or undertreated hypertension in Nigeria.

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The WHD Celebration which is themed: ‘Measure your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control it, Live longer’, is slated to hold on Monday, May 17, and while the screening process will run from May to November 2021.

The essence of celebrating the day is to increase awareness of hypertension around the world which will therefore help prevent and control this silent killer.

According to the Nigerian Hypertension Society (NHS), the proportion of Nigerians with hypertension is high, while awareness, treatment, and control rates are low despite the availability of potent drugs.

In a screening conducted by the same Body in 2018, hypertension was present in one-third of the population with only a few being aware of their hypertensive state, while only 18 percent of all hypertensive persons had their blood pressure controlled.

To reduce the negative consequences of hypertension, the Nigerian Hypertension Society has advised everybody to maintain regular checks on their Blood Pressure.

Hypertensive individuals are also encouraged to regularly take their medications, avoid excessive salt consumption, eat healthy diets, engage in physical exercises, reduce weight if overweight and to generally avoid unhealthy lifestyles.