Worryingly, just little more than 20% of the world’s 1.4 billion hypertensive patients had their condition under control in 2024, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Present at an event held alongside the 80th UN General Assembly and co-hosted by Bloomberg Philanthropies and Resolve to Save Lives yesterday, the numbers were part of the second Global Hypertension Report, which was released by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Hypertension is still a major contributor to CVD, stroke, dementia, and chronic kidney disease, as stated in the paper.
Despite the fact that HIV is both curable and avoidable, the World Health Organisation has issued a dire warning that nations face increasing economic losses and the early deaths of millions unless immediate action is taken.
An estimated $3.7 trillion, or roughly 2% of GDP, will be lost by low- and middle-income nations between 2011 and 2025 due to cardiovascular illnesses, which include hypertension.
A glaring disparity in the availability of pharmaceuticals was also revealed in the survey. Only seven out of twenty-five low-income nations, or 28%, can claim that all of the hypertension medications recommended by the World Health Organisation are generally available, in contrast to 93% of high-income nations.
One of the most cost-effective public health measures is blood pressure medication, according to the World Health Organisation. But obstacles including insufficient prescribing practices, price disparities, and weak regulatory systems still make it hard for people to get what they need.
Dr. Tom Frieden, president and chief executive officer of Resolve to Save Lives, voiced his concern that “far too many people can’t get them,” despite the availability of safe, effective, and inexpensive medications to lower blood pressure. It would save billions of dollars annually and save lives if that gap were to be closed.
The magnitude of avoidable mortality associated with hypertension was bemoaned by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Strokes and heart attacks caused by hypertension claim the lives of almost a thousand people every hour. A large number of these fatalities might have been avoided, he emphasised.
At the same time, the World Health Organisation has warned against jumping to conclusions about a link between autism and the use of paracetamol (paracetamol) at any point during pregnancy. In response, Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesman for the World Health Organisation, stated that although preliminary observational studies had hinted at a potential link, more recent investigations had “found no such relationship.”
He cautioned against jumping to conclusions based on contradictory evidence.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reaffirmed its urgent plea for immediate worldwide action to increase availability of life-saving medications and fortify public health systems in light of the fact that hypertension and disinformation present twin threats.