Cardiologist warns public of hypertension threat
By Renelle L. Escuadro
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) — The Philippines is facing an increasing prevalence of hypertension that is affecting Filipinos as young as 12 years old.
Dr. Wilbert Allan Gumatay, a cardiologist of the Philippine Heart Association, shared the 2021 Report of the Council on Hypertension in the country during the recent seminar on Engaging Media for Health Literacy, as he discussed the topic on “The Hypertension Pandemic: Innovations in Treatment and Lifestyle Change,” held in General Luna, Surigao del Norte,
The World Health Organization, through its global report on hypertension, also disclosed that in 2019, an estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide were affected by hypertension, posing the medical condition as a public health problem and as one of the world’s leading risk factors for death and disability.
Blood pressure consists of two written numbers – systolic and diastolic. The first number or systolic represents the pressure in blood vessels when the heart contracts or beats, while diastolic or the second number is the pressure in the vessels when the heart rests between beats.
According to Dr. Gumatay, under the blood pressure category, prehypertension is when systolic is at 120-139 or diastolic is at 80-89. The first stage of hypertension happens if the blood pressure of the patient reaches 140-159 (systolic) or 90-99 (diastolic). It elevates to Stage 2 if blood pressure is 160 – higher or 100 – higher. There is hypertensive crisis that requires emergency care if systolic is higher than 180 or diastolic is higher than 110.
He underscored that hypertension is a silent killer and most patients have no symptoms for many years, even decades until it finally damages certain critical organs of the body. “This is a serious medical condition that leads to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney damage and many other health problems.”
Prevention
Aside from maintenance medication and blood pressure monitoring, the cardiologist presented nonpharmacological interventions for the prevention and treatment of hypertension such as the following;
•Physical activities such as 90-150 min/week of aerobic and exercise
•Healthy diet using the DASH (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) dietary pattern that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low -fat dairy products with reduced content of saturated and total loss
•Weight loss anchored on the principle that the ideal body weight is best goal but equal or greater than 1 kg reduction in body weight for most adults who are overweight
•Reduce intake of dietary sodium or salt, recommending less than 1,500 mg/day is optimal goal but equal or more than 1,000 mg/day reduction in most adults
•Enhanced intake of dietary potassium of 3,500-5,000mg/day, preferably by consumption of a diet rich in potassium
•Moderation in alcohol intake. For individuals who drink alcohol: men is less than 2 drinks/day, while women is less than 1 drink/day
Innovation
Gumatay also introduced Renal Denervation Treatment, an innovation in the treatment of hypertension that requires a minimally invasive procedure to treat resistant hypertension.
“As an approved option in the treatment of hypertension, renal denervation lowers high blood pressure by disrupting nerves around the kidneys that signal the body to increase blood pressure,“ he said.
Accordingly, this innovation allows patients to potentially reduce the number of medications they are taking, hence empowering them to break free from the limitations set by hypertension.
Meanwhile, to address the increasing prevalence of hypertension in the country, the Department of Health (DOH) has intensified its advocacy campaign as a significant step to curb the deadly condition, bolstering inclusive awareness to the communities and empowering all sectors of the society, including government communicators and media practitioners. (RLE, PIA Caraga)
