The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

One in five adults in the country suffer from high blood pressure, said cardiologists.

"High blood pressure is solely responsible for half of all heart diseases and over 60 percent of strokes," Sirajul Haque, Secretary General of Hypertension Committee of the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh (HCNHFB) said.

"In Bangladesh, the number of high blood pressure patients are around 15 million and most of them do not know about this health problem," he said, adding there is a lack of awareness about the disease among rural elderly.

Only 17 per cent rural elderly people know that they have been suffering from high blood pressure, a contrast to urban elderly people who were better health educated and around half of them were aware about it, said Sirajul.

The Chairman of the HCNHFB Prof RK Khandaker said, "The detection and treatment of high blood pressure were inadequate in the country, but things could be controlled through popularising the measurement of blood pressure at home."

The self-care at home can save many lives, especially for those whose disease remains as symptomatic, he said.

High blood pressure is attributed to consumption of more salts, intake of imbalanced food, lack of physical activity and mental stress. The disease can be prevented and controlled through public health measures, said the health experts.