25 percent of Pakistani population suffering from hypertension: experts

NOWSHERA: The Pakistan Hypertension League Chairman and internationally known cardiac surgeon Professor Dr Muhammad Ishaq Paracha has said that hypertension (high blood pressure) and diabetes have become major causes of the heart ailments.

He was speaking as a chief guest at a symposium arranged at the Cardiology Department of the Qazi Medical Complex. Dr Hikmatullah Jan, a cardiac surgeon at the Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, presided over the well-attended event.

The Nowshera Chapter Coordinator for the Pakistan Hypertension League, Dr Saqib Qureshi, Dean, Nowshera Medical College, Dr Zia Muhammad, Dr Abdul Hanan Banagsh, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Qazi Medical Complex, Gulrez Hakeem Khan addressed the symposium as well.

Dr Muhammad Ishaq Paracha said according to conservative estimates, almost 25 per cent of Pakistan population was suffering from hypertension. “If an awareness-raising campaign was not launched among the masses to stem the situation, this 25 per cent figure is feared to double by the year 2025,” he cautioned.

Elaborating on his statement, the health expert said of the hypertensive people, up to 50 percent were in the urban population and they include children of 15 years age who make up for 18 per cent of the hypertensive population. “This is why a growing number of the young population is prone to the heart diseases and the mortality rate is on the increase,” he pointed out.

Dr Muhammad Ishaq Paracha said that the government and the media had a role to play in tackling with this issue. “Awareness-raising is direly needed or else the coming generations will not pardon us if we failed to act,” he warned.

The senior doctor said smoking, alcohol, oily foods, obesity and mental stress due to financial problems were the major factors that contributed to the high blood pressure. He said that a change in lifestyle could improve the situation. He said precautionary measures should be inculcated among kids and they should be inclined to a balanced diet to save them from this health challenge.