The global impact of hypertension

Abstract

It is estimated that hypertension is the cause of about 50% of heart disease, stroke and heart failure (HF), 18% of deaths overall and more than 40% of deaths in people with diabetes. In addition, hypertension is a leading risk for dementia, renal failure and risk for foetal and maternal death in pregnancy. Hypertension is very common as approximately four in 19 adults older than 25 years of age have hypertension, another one in five have prehypertension and nine in 10 adults living to 80 years of age will develop hypertension. Hypertension also disproportionally impacts low-income and middle-income countries as 60% of those with hypertension are in these economically developing countries.