TEHRAN- One third of Iranian adults suffer from hypertension, said Baqer Larijani, the deputy health minister for education. 

Larijani made the remarks on a meeting on the occasion of the World Hypertension Day, May 17, ISNA reported. 

According to Larijani, the Health Ministry has now started a national campaign to control hypertension. 

“The main aim of the campaign is to teach the society about uncontrolled hypertension,” said Larijani. 

“It is necessary that experts and professors establish a guideline about hypertension,” he said.  

97,000 deaths caused by hypertension

Some 97,000 Iranians died of diseases caused by hypertension in 2017, according to Dr. Ramin Heshmat, who is an associate professor of epidemiology in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. 

“Unfortunately, among 15 million Iranians who have high blood pressure, only 60% are aware of their condition; additionally, only half the patients who are aware of their hypertension, receive medication for it.”“From 1990 to 2016, the prevalence of high blood pressure among Iranian adults grew three times,” said Dr. Heshmat. 

“Unfortunately, among 15 million Iranians who have high blood pressure, only 60% are aware of their condition; additionally, only half the patients who are aware of their hypertension, receive medication for it.”

It means, he said, only 15% of the patients control their high blood pressure. 

According to Heshmat, examining people’s awareness of hypertension, its risk factors and consequences and highlighting the importance of early diagnosis are among the objectives of the National Campaign for Controlling Hypertension. 

“The campaign target groups are all people above the age of 30, as well as pregnant women and people with kidney diseases at any age,” he said. 

According to Dr. Heshmat, the campaign will run from May 17 to July 6. 

“From May 17 to June 6, people are notified about the campaign, its subject and targets and from June 6 to July 6 the field works are carried out such as taking the blood pressure of target groups, registering their information and referring the patients to specialists,” he said. 

Reducing 54,000 of deaths  

Over the meeting, Dr. Farshad Farzadfar, director for Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, said if the plans are made for reaching the target of World Health Organization (WHO) for reducing raised blood pressure, 54,000 of annual deaths are prevented.  

WHO has set a target for a 25% relative reduction in the prevalence of raised blood pressure by 2025.

According to WHO, raised blood pressure caused an estimated 9.4 million deaths in 2010. It is a major cardiovascular risk factor and a leading risk factor for global deaths.

SJ/MQ/MG