One-third of Indians suffer from hypertension, says study; more women get treatment

Nearly one-third of Indian men and women suffer from hypertension but surprisingly more women get treatment for their high blood pressure compared to men, says a new study published in The Lancet on Tuesday.

Quoting 2019 data, the study shows that an estimated 30 per cent of women and 32 per cent of men suffer from elevated blood pressure that can lead to heart diseases. But when it comes to the treatment of hypertension, 35 per cent of women get it as compared to 25 per cent of men.

"This is a surprise as in India the menfolk generally get more medical care. A difference of 10 per cent in treatment between the two genders is significant,” said Avula Laxmaiah, co-author of the Lancet study and a scientist at the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad.

The Lancet study analysed blood pressure measurements from more than 10 crore people taken over three decades in 184 countries.

Hypertension was defined as having systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or greater, diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or greater, or taking medication for high blood pressure.

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The probable reason behind more women getting the hypertension treatment is that a large number of them are checked for their blood pressure during the pregnancy and are treated in case doctors or health workers find an elevation, explains K Srinath Reddy, president, Public Health Foundation of India, not associated with the study.

"Also, hypertension is the predominant reason for stroke in elderly women. Globally, women are more prone to stroke because of which they may (of their family members) be checking their blood pressure. Moreover, women with high blood pressure are more prone to auto-immune diseases,” Reddy, a former professor of cardiology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi told DH.

The prevalence of hypertension in India has marginally increased over a period of 30 years, from 28 per cent in women and 29 per cent in men in 1990 to 32 per cent in women and 30 per cent in men in 2019.

But a significant improvement in the diagnosis was observed from 12 and 19 per cent in 1990 to 32 and 42 per cent among men and women, respectively, said Laxmaiah.

Globally, the number of adults (aged 30-79 years) living with hypertension has doubled — rising from an estimated 33 crore women and nearly 32 crore men in 1990 to 62.6 crore women and 65 crore men in 2019, with most of such increase occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

Despite being straightforward to diagnose and relatively easy to treat with low-cost drugs, nearly half of people (41 per cent of women and 51 per cent of men) with hypertension worldwide in 2019 were unaware of their condition; and more than half of women (53 per cent) and men (62 per cent) with the condition weren’t treated.