In this sense, strengthening primary health care, as well as measures to reduce salt and promote a healthy diet and physical activity are crucial to address the risk factor for the leading cause of death in the Region.
Although high blood pressure affects 180 million people in America, “they often show no symptoms or signs and therefore often go undiagnosed or treated,” warned the director of the Pan American Health Organization at a news conference. Health (PAHO).
He described this situation as serious because undiagnosed and uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, heart failure or stroke, he stressed.
According to experts, high blood pressure is the main risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in the region and is responsible for around two million deaths every year.
However, in America, more than a third of men and a quarter of women (ages 30 to 79) with high blood pressure are unaware they have it.
Meanwhile, only a third of those who know they have the disease and seek treatment have it under control.
Barbosa commended countries to “accelerate efforts to expand and ensure equitable access to hypertension care” and provide training so that the latest approaches to diagnosing and treating the condition are practiced in primary care centers across America.
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