Hypertension? Doctors blame lack of exercise, pandemic stress among youths

Noida: ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ — the quintessential proverb seems to have far-reaching consequences than it might have actually hinted at. Confined to homes for a prolonged period during the pandemic, leading a sedentary life with little or no exercise coupled with financial and other stress, a majority of the middle-aged group have been found vulnerable to long-term diseases like elevated blood pressure. Noida, home to a formidable section of the young workforce, has seen a significant rise in hypertension cases since the outbreak of the pandemic, say doctors.
An analysis of the National Family Health Survey data for 2015-16 and 2019-21 for the district, too, reinforces it.
While only 0.7% of men and as many women per 1,000 population, in the age group of 15 years and above, were found to have hypertension in 2015-16, about 20.9% of men and 16.4% of women were found to be suffering from the cardiovascular disorder in 2019-21, according to the NFHS data.
In neighbouring Ghaziabad, 0.5% men and 0.7% women per 1,000 population and in the corresponding age group were found hypertensive in 2015-16. This rose significantly in 2019-21, with 24.5% of men and 19.3% of women suffering from the ailment.
Across the state, 21.7% of men and 18.4% women per 1,000 population were estimated to have elevated blood pressure in 2019-21. Comparatively, 12.8% of men and women per 1,000 population suffered from hypertension in 2015-16, the NFHS data stated.
On World Hypertension Day, observed on May 17, Dr Tapan Ghose, the director of the cardiology department at Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj, told TOI: “After the first wave of Covid, we saw a rise in patients with high blood pressure, especially middle-aged adults and the elderly. This was due to a combination of factors like lack of exercise in the lockdown, disturbed sleep pattern, stress because of the pandemic-related news, increased intake of a high calorie diet and also no medication for controlling blood pressure. After the second and third waves, there was an increase again in such patients between 30 and 50 years.”
“There is no specific cause that can trigger hypertension. For some people, it is genetic while others develop it over a period. However, there are certain factors that can indirectly play a major role in triggering this condition. In almost 90-95% cases of hypertension in the younger population, we have seen no major cause and it is often referred to as idiopathic hypertension. Another major factor is related to late working hours, sedentary lifestyle and poor food choices. Stress, consumption of alcohol, smoking and lack of sleep can also trigger high blood pressure,” says Dr Bhupendra Singh, a consultant cardiologist at Ghaziabad’s Manipal Hospital.