Over 200,000 Filipinos die every year due to hypertension, the leading cause of illness in the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) warned yesterday.
Amid the celebration of the National Hypertension Awareness Month, Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial noted that hypertension is the primary contributor to premature deaths in the Philippines and is affecting over 12 million individuals every year.
“Hypertension remains to be the leading cause of illness and a primary contributor to premature death in the Philippines, projecting around 200,000 deaths yearly in the country attributed directly or indirectly to high blood pressure. Based on national surveys, the total number of hypertensive Filipinos is now more than 12 million, with more than half of them are unaware of their condition,” Ubial pointed out.
“Some of these unsuspecting hypertensive individuals are extremely at-risk and can be considered as walking time bombs because anytime they can figuratively explode to develop complications like massive stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney failure,” she added.
Hence, the DOH urged the public to undergo regular screening for hypertension.
Ubial said the public can easily avail of the Blood Pressure (BP) screening initiative they will be holding for the whole month of May.
The department is targeting at least 1.7 million Filipinos, who are 18 years old and above and have not undergone BP measurement for the past year.
“We advice the public to know their blood pressure and adopt a healthy lifestyle because your health is in your hands, it is everybody’s concern…. Do not be a victim of the silent killer, make a move now and take control of your blood pressure,” said Ubial.
SOURCE:Manila Bulletin
