HYDERABAD - The prevalence of hypertension is 50 percent in the adult population above 50 years of age, while 30 percent in people around 30 years of age and 5 to 7 percent among children.

The prevalence of essential hypertension is increasing at in Pakistan which is about 3 to 4% in childhood and sharply rises when people are nearing middle age.

Talking to APP, Professor and Chairman Department of Psychiatry LUMHS Dr Moin Ansari here Monday said that Hypertension is a silent killer that prevails among the people because of guilt of the past, anxiousness about the present and bleak about future.

He said that the Hypertension is one of the leading psychiatric and completely depressive illness that causing serious threats to human life.

This was necessary for the early detection of hypertension and for preventing the onset of circulatory conditions like cerebral haemorrhage, heart failure, kidney failure or even blindness, he said.

It was important, therefore, that lifestyle be changed in the general population, he said. People should exercise regularly. He said that hypertension and depression, which commonly named as “high blood pressure” is a medical condition where the blood pressure is chronically elevated. While it is formally called arterial hypertension, the word “hypertension” without a qualifier usually refers to arterial hypertension, he said.

Dr Moin informed that hypertension is the source of heart attack or stroke with highest risk as compared to other diseases. Persistent hypertension is one of the risk factors for strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and arterial aneurysm and also a leading source of chronic renal failure, he added.

About the classification of the hypertension, he said that it is classified as either essential or secondary. Essential hypertension is the term, which used when no specific medical cause can be found to explain a patient’s condition; he said and added that the secondary hypertension means that the high blood pressure is a result of other clinical problems such as kidney disease or certain Tumors.

About symptoms, Dr Moin Ansari said that hypertension is known as silent killer, because it often has no symptoms at all. Sometimes, people with high blood pressure experience headaches, dizziness or a ringing sound in their ears, but the reasons of these symptoms could also be the cause of other disease.

He said that risk factors for high blood pressure included the use of smoking and alcohol, obesity, taking salt frequently, lack of exercise and stress as well as the family history of hypertension and stroke.

Dr Moin advised the people not to ignore this disease as high blood pressure can cause fatal diseases such as heart attack, paralysis, and Kidney failure and brain haemorrhage.

He said that the patients of high blood pressure and those who want to be safe from the disease should keep bodyweight normal, take regular exercises, and have half an hour daily walk, use less salt, avoid fatty foods and avoid smoking.

Psychiatric Dr Moin Ansari suggested that adopting preventive measures in controlling the high blood pressure is very important. The patients must ensure the controlling of their blood pressure with healthy lifestyle and proper medical treatment, he added.