High Blood Pressure: The Leading Global Burden of Disease Risk Factor and the Need for Worldwide Prevention Programs

Excerpt

It has been long recognized that hypertension is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality [1]. Traditionally, a high burden of hypertension and its adverse consequences has been mistakenly thought to be an affliction of only economically developed countries [2]. However, studies over the past two decades have reported that the majority of people in many economically developing countries have blood pressure above the levels considered optimal, with a high prevalence of hypertension present [3‐5]. Although a high prevalence of hypertension in all world regions has been previously reported, a recent publication from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study has placed a renewed focus on the heavy toll high blood pressure is having in all regions of the world [6, 7]. …