Research
1 in 3 adults has HTN, 1 in 10 has diabetes
According to The World health statistics 2012 report released recently, one in three adults worldwide, has raised blood pressure, known as hypertension (HTN) — a
condition that causes around half of all deaths from stroke and heart disease. One in ten adults has diabetes. For the first time in the report, World Health
Organisation (WHO) includes information from 194 countries on the percentage of men and women with raised blood pressure and blood glucose levels.
This report is further evidence of the dramatic increase in the conditions that trigger heart disease and other chronic illnesses, particularly in low- and middle-
income countries. Noncommunicable diseases like heart and lung disease, diabetes and cancer currently cause almost two thirds of all deaths worldwide.
Experts said that most of these people affect remain undiagnosed, although many of these cases could be treated with low-cost medications, which would significantly
reduce the risk of death and disability from heart disease and stroke.
The report also revealed the evidence of increasing incidence of obesity. In all parts of the world, women are more likely to be obese than men, and thus at greater
risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
It also focused on the low quality and severe scarcity of date on death registration. In low- and middle-income countries, less than 10% of deaths are registered.
-With The Daily Star input
