WHO | Q&As on hypertension

1 of 3

http://www.who.int/features/qa/82/en/

10/24/2016 5:14 AM

WHO | Q&As on hypertension

2 of 3

http://www.who.int/features/qa/82/en/

A. All adults should have their blood pressure checked. routinely, it is

important to know your numbers. If blood pressure is high, they need
the advice of a health worker.
For some people, lifestyle changes such as stopping tobacco use,
eating healthily, exercising regularly and avoiding the harmful use of
alcohol, are sufficient to control blood pressure. Reduction in salt intake
can also help. For others, these changes are insufficient and they need
prescription medication to control blood pressure.
Adults can support treatment by adhering to the prescribed medication,
lifestyle changes and by monitoring their health.
People with high blood pressure that also have high blood sugar,
elevated blood cholesterol or kidney damage face even higher risk of
heart attacks and stroke. Therefore it is important that regular checks
for blood sugar, blood cholesterol and urine albumin take place.
Everyone can take five concrete steps to minimize the odds of
developing high blood pressure and its adverse consequences.
1. Healthy diet:
promoting a healthy lifestyle with emphasis on proper
nutrition for infants and young people;
reducing salt intake to less than 5 g of salt per day (just
under a teaspoon);
eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day;
reducing saturated and total fat intake.
2. Avoiding harmful use of alcohol i.e. limit intake to no more than one
standard drink a day
3. Physical activity:
regular physical activity and promotion of physical activity for
children and young people (at least 30 minutes a day).
maintaining a normal weight: every 5 kg of excess weight lost
can reduce systolic blood pressure by 2 to 10 points.
4. Stopping tobacco use and exposure to tobacco products
5. Managing stress in healthy way such as through meditation,
appropriate physical exercise, and positive social contact.
Q. How common is raised blood pressure?
A. More than 1 in 5 adults worldwide have raised blood pressure a
condition that causes around half of all deaths from stroke and heart
disease. Complications from hypertension account for 9.4 million deaths
worldwide every year.
In nearly all high-income countries, widespread diagnosis and treatment
with low-cost medication have led to a significant drop in the proportion
of people with raised blood pressure, as well as the average blood
pressure across populations and this has contributed to a reduction in
deaths from heart disease. For example, the prevalence of raised blood
pressure in the WHO region of the Americas in 2014 was 18%, as
compared to 31% in 1980.

10/24/2016 5:14 AM

WHO | Q&As on hypertension

3 of 3

http://www.who.int/features/qa/82/en/

10/24/2016 5:14 AM