World Hypertension Day 2024: Theme, History, Significance, Signs and Risks of Hypertension

Every year on May 17, people around the world mark World Hypertension Day to increase awareness of the condition as a public health concern. The day also aims to expand our understanding of hypertension by putting more of an emphasis on researching the conditions’ causes and risk factors. It also emphasises how the medical condition can be properly controlled through lifestyle adjustments and other options.

What is Hypertension?

Hypertension, often known as high blood pressure, is a dangerous condition that happens when our blood vessels are under too much pressure (140/90 mmHg or greater). It requires immediate treatment because if left untreated, it can escalate to serious and fatal illnesses such as cardiac disease, heart attack, or stroke.

Hypertension is most common in the elderly, those who lead sedentary lifestyles, patients with type 2 diabetes or obesity, those who eat a high-salt diet, and those who drink heavily. Younger people can also develop hypertension as a result of stress or other circumstances.

World Hypertension Day 2024: Theme

This year, the World Hypertension League (WHL) has selected “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, and Live Longer” as the World Hypertension Day theme. It has been chosen to promote enhanced awareness of high blood pressure and blood pressure measurement accuracy to control hypertension-related NCDs, particularly in poor and middle-income communities.

World Hypertension Day 2024: History and Significance

The first World Hypertension Day was observed on May 14, 2005. The World Hypertension League (WHL), an umbrella organisation representing 85 countries, established this particular day to promote awareness of hypertension. The league chose “Know Your Numbers!” as the subject for its inaugural event. World Hypertension Day has been observed annually on May 17 since 2006. The WHL provides information about hypertension prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, hypertension affects over a billion people globally and kills over 7.5 million people each year. Many people fail to recognise hypertension symptoms due to a lack of awareness about the condition.

World Hypertension Day aims to improve awareness of hypertension’s prevalence, symptoms, and preventive actions. It also emphasises the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle in controlling hypertension. Early diagnosis of high blood pressure can help save countless lives.

World Hypertension Day 2024: Signs and Risks of Hypertension

Signs

1. The majority of people with hypertension do not experience any symptoms. Meanwhile, headaches, blurred vision, chest pain, and other symptoms may result from extremely high blood pressure.
2. The best way to determine whether or not you have high blood pressure is to check your blood pressure.
3. If hypertension is not managed, it can lead to renal damage, heart disease, and a stroke.
4. People with extremely high blood pressure (typically 180/120 or above) may feel severe headaches, chest discomfort, dizziness, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision or other vision disturbances, anxiety, disorientation, ear ringing, nosebleeds, and an irregular heart rhythm.
5. If you have any of these symptoms, as well as high blood pressure, seek medical attention right once.

Risks

If you have uncontrolled hypertension, you face a high risk of developing serious health complications.

Some of them are – Heart illness and heart attack, a clogged or ruptured artery in the brain that causes a stroke, kidney disease, and failure, aneurysm a weakness in a blood vessel’s wall, loss of eyesight and dementia, or loss of at least two brain functions interfering with your daily functioning.