Experts: One in four adults in Bangladesh suffer from hypertension

One in every four adults in Bangladesh is suffering from hypertension, experts in a webinar have said.

On the occasion of World Heart Day 2024, public health experts and heart specialists highlighted several issues in the webinar, titled “Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease Risk,” organized by PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) with support from Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) on Sunday. This year's theme for the day is “Use Heart for Action.”

They said cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death globally, with hypertension being one of the major contributing factors. 

They added that heart disease was responsible for 34% of all deaths in Bangladesh, a large number of which were preventable. 

Availability of anti-hypertensive medicine at the grassroots level could reduce the risk of heart disease to a great extent, the experts said.  

According to the first Global Report on Hypertension 2023 by the World Health Organization (WHO), 273,000 people die of cardiovascular diseases every year in Bangladesh and 54% of these fatalities are attributable to hypertension. 

The report says that half of the individuals (aged 30–79 years) with hypertension are not even aware of their condition.

Dr Abdullah Al Shafi Majumder, member secretary of the expert panel on health sector reforms and former director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, said increased awareness programs, along with other activities, were required to control hypertension.

Meanwhile, Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury, head of the Department of Epidemiology and Research at the National Heart Foundation, said heart disease caused more than 40% of premature deaths in Bangladesh. “Controlling hypertension is the most effective way to reduce this mortality rate.”

Dr Malay Kanti Mridha, a professor at the Brac James P Grant School of Public Health of Brac University, said empirical studies by region, age and gender were highly required to accurately determine the prevalence of hypertension nationwide.

Another speaker, Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, the Bangladesh country lead at GHAI, remarked that assessment of the number of hypertensive patients across the country was important to ensure the supply of anti-hypertensive medicine at the grassroots level.

A healthy dietary habit is essential to control hypertension and heart disease, said Shamsun Naher Nahid, the head of nutrition at the Department of Diet and Nutrition of Birdem General Hospital.

ABM Zubair, executive director of PROGGA, also attended the webinar as a discussant. 

PROGGA’s Coordinator Sadia Galiba Prova delivered a key-note presentation on the prevalence of hypertensive heart disease and moderated the webinar.