High blood pressure spreads globally, 33% will have it by 2025

Main Category: Hypertension
Article Date: 14 Jan 2005 - 13:00 PDT

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According to an article in The Lancet, one third of the world's population will be suffering from high blood pressure (hypertension) by the year 2025, that is, 1.56 billion people.

Just five years ago 972 million people suffered from high blood pressure, two thirds of them came from developing countries.

If things carry on the way they are, scientists say (in the Lancet) that by 2025 the number of people with high blood pressure will rise by 60%.

Experts say the rising incidence of high blood pressure worldwide is mainly due to an increase in:

-- smoking in Asia and many developing countries

-- consumption of bad fats (saturated fats and trans-fats)

-- inactivity (not doing enough exercise)

-- salt intake.

The scientists believe the developing world will increase is share of the total numbers by 2025.

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