Hypertension higher in urban areas

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Panaji, Feb 19 (UNI) The incidence of hypertension, the cause of which has not yet been known but accounts for 57 per cent of deaths due to stroke and 24 per cent due to coronary heart disorders, is evident in people living in the urban areas than those in rural areas.

Epidemiological studies at different places in the country have shown that the hypertension (high blood pressure) is present in 25 per cent of the urban and ten per cent of the rural population.

Interestingly, 36.36 per cent of men and 37.52 per cent of women in Jaipur recorded high blood pressure followed by 32.8 per cent men and 39.4 per cent women in Mumbai.

On the other hand, according to studies, the incidence of hypertension was considerably lower in rural areas of Rajasthan and Maharashtra, but was higher, about 36 per cent among men and 37.2 per cent in women, in Kerala.

There are 34 million such patients in urban India and 31.5 million in rural areas, according to the ''Indian Hypertension Guidelines-II'' released in the just concluded four-day conference of the Association of Physicians of India (APICON-07).

A seven member core committee, headed by its convenor Dr Siddharth Shah, prepared the guidelines and were reviewed by a 25-member group of specialists.

The final document has been endorsed by various professional bodies, including API, Cardiological Society of India, Hypertension Society of India, Indian Society of Nephrologists and Indian Medical Association, Dr Shah told UNI.

Modification in lifestyle, combined with yoga and proper food, besides other exercises and emphasis on combatting stress would help control hypertension with suitable medication, he said.

''We differ with yoga exponent Ramdev. We do not agree with his saying that mere yoga would control hypertension. It should be combined with suitable medicine for real control,'' he said.

Avoiding excessive use of salt and using more fruits and vegetables with potassium and mineral contents would go a long way in managing the hypertension, he reiterated.

The specialists, including faculty from abroad, had discussed strategies during the technical sessions of the APICON-07 on combatting hypertension and shared their expertise on associated disorders such as diabetes and its complications, he added.