New results of the NCD-RisC consortium on hypertension

Hypertension can be detected at the primary care level, and affordable treatments can effectively control hypertension. The aim of a new study by the NCD-RisC consortium just published in a new issue of the Lancet was to determine the incidence of hypertension as well as progress in its detection, treatment and control between 1990 and 2019 for 200 countries and territories. Data on persons aged 30-79 from population-representative studies with blood pressure measurement and data on blood pressure treatment were used. The number of people with hypertension doubled from 1990 to 2019, from 331 million women and 317 million men in 1990 to 626 million women and 652 million men in 2019. The prevalence of hypertension exceeded 50% in women in two countries and men in nine countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Oceania and Latin America. Globally, 59% of women and 49% of men with hypertension reported a previous diagnosis of hypertension in 2019, and 47% of women and 38% of men were treated. Improvements in the detection, treatment, and control of hypertension have varied significantly from country to country, and some middle-income countries now outperform most high-income countries. A two-pronged approach to reducing the incidence of hypertension through primary prevention (including healthy living habits such as physical activity and diet) and improving its treatment and control has been achieved not only in high-income countries but also in low- and middle-income settings.