Obesity, family history, stress and aging are some of the main factors associated with the development of hypertension. The Ministry of Health published, on Tuesday (17), a report that points out that the number of adults with a medical diagnosis of hypertension increased by 3.7% in 15 years in Brazil. The rates went from 22.6% in 2006 to 26.3% in 2021.
The data were collected by the Ministry of Health Surveillance (SVS) of the Ministry, which considered the temporal evolution of the indicators of the last 16 editions of the main health survey in Brazil, Vigitel (Surveillance of Risk and Protection Factors for Chronic Diseases by Survey telephone).
The report also shows an increase in the prevalence of the indicator among men, ranging from 5.9% to more. The results point to a drop in records in certain age groups, with the largest reduction observed among adults aged 45 to 64 years, ranging from 32.3% in 2006 to 30.9% in 2021 for those between 45 and 54 years old; and ranging from 49.7% in 2006 to 49.4% in 2021 for those aged between 55 and 64.
“Monitoring information plays a fundamental role in the process of planning, implementation and evaluation of public policies, as well as in the fulfillment of the goals proposed in the action plans for the promotion, prevention and control of chronic non-communicable diseases, as a whole”, said Giovanny. França, director of the SVS’s Department of Health Analysis and Surveillance of Noncommunicable Diseases, in a statement.
According to the most recent data from the National Health Survey, carried out in 2019, the states with the highest prevalence of medical diagnosis of arterial hypertension are: Rio de Janeiro (28.1%), Minas Gerais (27.7%) and Rio Grande do Sul. South (26.6%). The states with the lowest prevalence are: Pará (15.3%), Roraima (15.7%) and Amazonas (16%).
The indicator refers to the Brazilian population over 18 years of age who reported having a medical diagnosis of arterial hypertension, except for women who were diagnosed during pregnancy.
The condition is one of the main risk factors for the development of cardiovascular and kidney diseases, in addition to being frequently associated with other chronic problems and events such as sudden death, stroke, acute myocardial infarction, heart failure and peripheral arterial disease.
According to the Mortality Information System (SIM), from 2010 to 2020, there were 551,262 deaths from hypertensive diseases, 292,339 in women and 258,871 in men. Among the states with the highest mortality rate in 2020 are: Piauí (45.7 deaths / 100 thousand inhabitants), Rio de Janeiro (44.6 deaths / 100 thousand inhabitants) and Alagoas (38.8 deaths / 100 thousand inhabitants) .
The president of the Department of Arterial Hypertension (DHA) of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology (SBC), Audes Feitosa, points out that hypertension has risk factors that are modifiable and other non-modifiable, such as genetic predisposition and aging.
The main modifiable habits are related to alcohol consumption, smoking, inadequate diet and physical inactivity, considered risk factors for the development of the disease.
Here are five strategies to prevent hypertension and its complications:
Source: CNN Brasil
