Nagpur: “Sixty-four million adults in India had cardiovascular diseases in 2015, which led to at least 30 million deaths,” Padma Shri Dr C Venkata S Ram told TOI on Sunday. He was speaking on the sidelines of Central India Cardiology Conference, held at a city hotel.
Ram was an official reviewer of the latest guidelines for diagnosis and management of hypertension issued by American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association released last year in November.
“These guidelines have brought a dramatic change in the definition of high blood pressure (BP). There are only two stages of hypertension according to the new guidelines.
“The new definition of high blood pressure is any BP that is greater than 130-139/80-89 mm mercury. This is called stage 1 hypertension. Stage 2 hypertension is 140/90 and above,” He said.
The major change compared to the previous guidelines is that they have downgraded the definition of high blood pressure, said Ram. “Earlier guidelines stated that blood pressure is abnormal if it is greater than 140/90. The new guidelines have reduced the numbers by 10mm. Many people will now qualify for the diagnosis of hypertension.
“This was done because there is much evidence worldwide that any BP that is greater than 130/80 can cause cardiovascular complications such as coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, kidney disease and dementia,” he said, and added that it’ll have important implications for India.
As per the old definition, as many as 24% of adults in India suffer from hypertension. The new definition will increase the figure by almost over 4%.
“The first step to address the issue is to confirm the diagnosis, that a patient consistently has a BP over the normal range. Lifestyle change is the first step recommended by the committee for managing hypertension,” he said.
If it does not reduce BP or if the person cannot change the lifestyle, they have recommended anti-hypertensive drugs. Uncontrolled hypertension is the reason for spike in cardiovascular diseases in India, he said. Hypertension in India is not only uncontrolled but also undetected and untreated. Early diagnosis and urgent treatment of hypertension can prevent the diseases, he said.