Cardiologists and hypertension specialists raised the alarm at the launch last week of the 22nd “Servier for the Heart” public awareness campaign, run this year under the slogan “Mission of Life.”
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is typically diagnosed when repeated measurements on different days show readings above 140/90 mmHg, meaning the top number is 140 or higher, the bottom number is 90 or higher, or both.
Doctors say that forces the heart to work harder and keeps blood vessels under constant strain.
“The numbers are staggering. As many as 11 million Poles have hypertension,” said Prof. Anna Tomaszuk-Kazberuk of the University Clinical Hospital in the eastern city of Białystok.
One in five deaths linked to hypertension
She added that after age 60, around 75 percent of people have high blood pressure, and she estimated that about 40 percent of those affected do not know they have it.
“If you asked me which disease on our planet most affects people’s health and length of life, it would be hypertension,” Tomaszuk-Kazberuk said.
Speakers cited statistics suggesting that up to one in five deaths is linked to high blood pressure.
Doctors stressed that hypertension is often called a “silent” condition because it may cause no pain and produce no obvious symptoms for years, discouraging people from checking their readings.
Over time, they said, it can damage artery walls, speed up atherosclerosis and sharply raise the risk of heart attack, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, and stroke.
It can also harm the kidneys and the eyes, and contribute to circulation problems in the limbs.
Tomaszuk-Kazberuk said nearly half of outpatient visits are connected to hypertension and its complications.
'130/80 mmHg'
Specialists pointed to a major gap between treatment guidelines and real-world practice.
Joint recommendations from the Polish Society of Hypertension and the Polish Cardiac Society set a general treatment goal below 130/80 mmHg and encourage combination therapy, meaning two medicines, from the time of diagnosis for many patients.
Yet Dr. Jacek Wolf of the Medical University of Gdańsk on Poland's Baltic coast, said data show only a quarter to a third of patients achieve therapeutic goals.
He said more than half of treated patients are still on a single-drug regimen, while about one-third use fixed-dose combination medicines.
Experts blamed low public awareness, weak cooperation between doctors and patients, delays in intensifying therapy, and poor adherence, meaning patients do not consistently follow medical advice on medicines and lifestyle.
Tomaszuk-Kazberuk said younger patients tend to follow recommendations less often.
'Mission 50/30'
Wolf said the Polish Society of Hypertension has launched a nationwide program, “Mission 50/30: Blood Pressure Under Control,” aiming for at least 50 percent of patients to have controlled hypertension by 2030.
He called the goal ambitious but realistic, arguing it could reduce strokes, heart attacks, chronic kidney disease and hospitalizations, while lowering broader social costs.
Wolf said the program has already drawn declarations of participation from 9,200 professionals, mainly doctors.
Psychologist Adrianna Sobol of the Medical University of Warsaw said health messaging works better when it focuses on daily life rather than “good results” on paper.
“We have to show our patients that caring for their health and following medical recommendations should, above all, help them experience life as well as possible,” she said.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP