Manila Times : 1 in 4 Filipinos are hypertensive

By: Mylene C. Orillo

April 14, 2018

It’s easy to know you’re sick when you have the signs or symptoms. But when you don’t, one day
you’ll find yourself sick without a warning, and that can be very alarming. “Most hypertensive
patients have no symptoms. The known symptoms of hypertension like headache, dizziness, nape
pain, and blurring of vision are non-specific and could be due to other causes. The best way to
find out is to have one’s blood pressure taken. It only takes a few minutes to do it,” said medical
doctor Rafael Castillo, member of Executive Council of the International Society of Hypertension
(ISH) based in United Kingdom and Chairman, Communications Committee, ISH.
Based on the national survey released by the Department of Health in 2017, the total number of
hypertensive Filipinos is now more than 12 million, with more than half of them are unaware of
their condition. Roughly, that is one out of four to five Filipinos in general. “That’s why the
International Society of Hypertension, in collaboration with the Philippine Society o Hypertension
and 22 other local medical organizations have a yearly May Measurement Month [MMM]
wherein we screen blood pressure nationwide to diagnose unsuspecting hypertensive patients,”
said Castillo.

Launched in May 2017, MMM is a global awareness campaign led by the ISH. It represents the
world’s leading scientists, clinicians, healthcare providers, and allied health care workers, all with
a common interest in hypertension (high blood pressure) research. According to the MMM
website, high blood pressure is the No. 1 contributing factor for global death, causing strokes,
heart attacks, and other cardiovascular complications with 10 million people dying each year
from conditions related to hypertension.

This May 2018, there will be mass synchronized global blood pressure (BP) screening campaign
just like last year and everyone is invited to participate and spread the word. Although there are
rooms for improvement, Castillo described the not-so-healthy lifestyle of Filipinos that are
making them sick.

“Many Filipinos are still smoking, we eat a lot of processed foods including junk foods, we don’t
exercise enough and we live a stressful life. High BP and other heart diseases result from the
interaction of genetics and environmental or lifestyle factors,” he said. As to who’s more prone,
Castillo said, “Both male and female are equally prone to high BP, males are more prone before
menopause of women; after menopause, they’re just about the same.”

He advised proper diet, regular exercise and intake of medicines to control and prevent high
blood pressure.
New guidelines for BP

Last year, American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and nine other health
organizations released new guidelines lowering the numbers for the diagnosis of hypertension
(high blood pressure) to 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and higher for all adults. The
previous guidelines set the threshold at 140/90 mm Hg for people younger than age 65 and
150/80 mm Hg for those ages 65 and older.

This means 70 percent to 79 percent of men ages 55 and older are now classified as having
hypertension. That includes many men whose blood pressure had previously been considered
healthy. Why the change?

“Because they have shown based on studies that although the previous BP levels were achieved,
there already signs of high BP on the heart, kidneys, brain, and arteries. They therefore
determined the threshold at which these target-organ damage starts to occur. And based on their
analysis, it starts from a BP of 130/80 mmHg,” explained Castillo.

Apart from lowered threshold, the new guidelines don’t offer different recommendations for
younger people or older than 65 years old.

“Instead, people with those readings are now categorized as having either elevated pressure [120
to 129 systolic and less than 80 diastolic] or Stage 1 hypertension [130 to 139 systolic or 80 to 89
diastolic]. A reading of 140/90 mm Hg or higher is considered Stage 2 hypertension, and anything
higher than 180/120 mm Hg is hypertensive crisis,” said the report.

The new guideline also redefined the various categories of hypertension, eliminating the
category of prehypertension, which had been defined as systolic blood pressure of 120 to 139
mm Hg or diastolic pressure (the lower number in a reading) of 80 to 89 mm Hg.

Source: https://www.manilatimes.net/2018/04/14/business/health-industry/1-in-4-filipinos-
are-hypertensive/392420/
Summary:
The article states that for some hypertensive patients show no symptoms of hypertension but
the usual signs and symptoms of hypertension are headache, dizziness, nape pain, and blurring
of vision are non-specific and could be due to other causes. And the best way to find is by having
your blood pressure taken. According to the national survey released by the Department of
Health in 2017, the total number of hypertensive Filipinos is now more than 12 million, with more
than half of them are unaware of their condition. The International Society of Hypertension,
together with the Philippine Society of Hypertension and other organizations conducts the yearly
May Measurement Month [MMM] to we screen blood pressure nationwide to diagnose
unsuspecting hypertensive patients. They said that high blood pressure is the No. 1 contributing
factor for global death, causing strokes, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular complications
with 10 million people dying each year from conditions related to hypertension. This is because
most Filipinos are smoking, eat a lot of processed foods including junk foods, does not exercise
enough and living in a stressful life. High BP and other heart diseases result from the interaction
of genetics and environmental or lifestyle factors. We are advised to proper diet, regular exercise
and intake of medicines to control and prevent high blood pressure. For the new guidelines of BP
the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and nine other health
organizations released new guidelines lowering the numbers for the diagnosis of hypertension
(high blood pressure) to 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and higher for all adults. The
previous guidelines set the threshold at 140/90 mm Hg for people younger than age 65 and
150/80 mm Hg for those ages 65 and older. This also changed the various categories of
hypertension, eliminating the category of prehypertension, which had been defined as systolic
blood pressure of 120 to 139 mm Hg or diastolic pressure (the lower number in a reading) of 80
to 89 mm Hg.

Reaction:

The article only signifies that indeed Filipinos are the ones very much vulnerable to lifestyle
diseases like hypertension and other lifestyle diseases because it was elaborated that we most
of us are smoking, eating a lot of processed foods including junk foods, does not exercise enough
and living in a stressful life. Hypertension is a silent killer because you may not feel that anything
is wrong, but high blood pressure could be quietly causing damage that can threaten your health.
The best prevention is knowing your numbers and making changes that matter in order to
prevent and manage high blood pressure. This is by conducting lifestyle changes that includes
loosing extra pounds, exercising regularly, eating healthy diet, reduce the amount of sodium or
salt in the diet, limit alcohol drinking, stop smoking, reducing the stress, reduce caffeine intake,
and frequent monitoring of blood pressure especially when you are diagnosed of hypertension.
Lifestyle indeed plays an important role in treating your high blood pressure. If successfully
controlled the blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle, this might avoid, delay or reduce the need
for medication.