By Andrea Hargraves 
About a third of Portuguese people suffer from high blood pressure, according to a report by the World Health Organization on the impact of the disease around the world.
In the file prepared by the World Health Organization, using data from 2019, there are 2.7 million adults between the ages of 30 and 79 who suffer from high blood pressure, which is more prevalent among men (37%) than women (28%).
According to the document, for Portugal to achieve a 50% control rate, it will be necessary to effectively treat more than 69,000 people with high blood pressure.
If the progress scenario is achieved, 16,000 deaths could be avoided by 2040, according to the World Health Organization, which calculated 32,600 deaths caused by high blood pressure in 2019.
On the international scene, the United Nations indicates that nearly four out of every five people suffering from high blood pressure do not receive adequate treatment, warning that if countries can increase control, 76 million deaths could be avoided over the seven years. The next twenty.
120 million strokes, 79 million heart attacks and 17 million heart failure cases will be avoided between 2023 and 2050.
High blood pressure affects one in three adults worldwide, leading to strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, kidney damage and other health problems.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement about the report: “High blood pressure can be controlled effectively with simple, low-cost treatment regimens, yet only one in five people has it under control.”
Aging, genetics, and poor eating habits can increase your risk of developing high blood pressure, but eating a healthy diet, stopping smoking, and becoming more active can help reduce blood pressure.
“Hypertension control programs remain neglected (…) severely underfunded. He stressed that strengthening the fight against hypertension must be part of all countries’ path towards universal health coverage, supported by well-functioning, equitable and resilient health systems, built on the foundation of primary health care.
WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, Michael R. Bloomberg, that the majority of heart attacks and strokes in the world can be prevented by medications and other interventions, such as reducing salt in the diet.
He added: “Treating high blood pressure through primary health care will save lives and save billions of dollars annually at the same time.”
According to Tom Frieden, head of the international organization “Determined to Save Lives,” “every hour, more than 1,000 people die from strokes and heart attacks,” and “the majority of deaths are caused by high blood pressure.”
The report is presented to the seventy-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly, which addresses progress made on the Sustainable Development Goals, including health goals in terms of epidemic preparedness and response, eliminating tuberculosis and achieving universal health coverage.