Beijing: One in every five adults has high blood pressure in China where a total of 266 million people suffer from hypertension, a top health official said.
A total of 266 million Chinese suffer from hypertension and among those aged 15 and above, about 24 per cent have the condition, said Shi Xiaoming, head of the chronic diseases division at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
An estimated 40 per cent of patients are not aware of their hypertension and only about 25 per cent of patients receive treatment, Shi said as the country marked National Hypertension Day.
About 15 per cent of adolescents and 30 per cent of obese adolescents have blood pressure levels that are higher than the expected level, but still within the healthy range, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Shi as saying.
High blood pressure is a main risk factor for heart attacks, heart failure, stroke and other arterial diseases.
Arterial diseases have been a serious public health problem in China, Shi said.
The increased incidence of hypertension has been caused by changes in lifestyle and diet and preventing the condition requires not only medication but also people's awareness, he said.
