Staff correspondent :
More than 50 percent of people in the country do not know that they have hypertension, according to health experts.
There are 3.20 crore people living with high blood, also called hypertension, they said adding most of the people with the chronic diseases are undetected.
Fatema Begum, 53, lives in Khilgaon area of Dhaka city. She is a tea seller by profession. Few months ago, Fatema went to Mugda Medical Hospital as she was suffering from various physical problems.
After various tests, the doctor said that she has high blood pressure.
Fatema Begum never realized before that she could have this problem.
Like Fatema, more than 50 people do not know that they are suffering from high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a chronic health problem and it is a silent killer.
Health experts said high blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney ailment and it also increases death risk.
Around 80 percent of stroke and heart attack can be prevented if only high blood pressure is controlled, they added.
Deputy Programme Manager of Hypertension Control Programme of National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute Dr. Shamim Joaddar said “At the age of 18, people should check their blood pressure within every six months.”
Dr. Syed Mahfuzul Haque of World Health Organization said as per the healthcare system of a country, all adult people must visit hospitals for detection of chronic disease.
The people could avoid any health risks or death, if they visit doctors as part of their regular medical checkup, he added.
Dr Mahfuzur Rahman of National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute said if excess salt could be stopped, “The risk of high blood pressure would be reduced by 50 percent, if people avoid intake of excess salt.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), most people with hypertension don’t feel any symptoms. Very high blood pressures can cause headaches, blurred vision, chest pain and other symptoms, it added.
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