Hypertension now a ‘silent killer’

Hypertension has become a major public health threat in Bangladesh, contributing to rising cases of stroke, heart attack, kidney disease and other non-communicable diseases, said experts at a seminar yesterday.

They said high blood pressure can be controlled through regular monitoring, healthy eating, physical activity, avoiding smoking and proper medical treatment.

The remarks were made at a seminar at Bangladesh Medical University, marking World Hypertension Day (today), where doctors, public health experts and government officials discussed the country’s growing burden of hypertension and other NCDs.

Dr Farzana Islam and Dr Shahidul Haque of the university’s Department of Public Health and Informatics said around 1.4 billion people worldwide are living with hypertension, many of them unaware of their condition.

Delivering the welcome address, Prof Mohammad Atiqul Haque, dean of the Faculty of Preventive and Social Medicine and chairman of the Department of Public Health and Informatics, described hypertension as a “silent killer” linked to heart disease, stroke and kidney complications.

Prof Md Abul Kalam Azad, pro-vice chancellor (administration) of the university, said erectile dysfunction (ED) should be treated as an early warning sign of cardiovascular disease and stroke, not merely as a sexual health issue.

Explaining the medical basis, he said the penile artery is only 1–2 millimetres wide, compared to 3–4 millimetres for coronary arteries. This means vascular complications may become visible earlier through erectile dysfunction.

Presenting findings from a study conducted in six villages of Dohar upazila in Dhaka district, he said non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes had become leading causes of death globally.

“If we can identify ED early and intervene in time, future heart attacks or strokes can potentially be prevented,” he said.

The study, conducted among 384 married elderly men, found that 96.6 percent had some degree of ED, while 78.4 percent also suffered from hypertension.

“The risk of ED among diabetic patients is nearly four times higher, while hypertension patients face more than double the risk,” he said.

Md Mamunur Rashid, joint secretary of the Health Services Division under the health ministry, said, “Universal health coverage and easy access to medicines are crucial for controlling hypertension.”

He said Bangladesh had adopted both whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to tackle the growing burden of hypertension and NCDs.

Dr Syed Zakir Hossain, former line director of the Non-Communicable Disease Control programme under the Directorate General of Health Services, said nearly 10 million people die from hypertension every year.

Presenting a paper titled “Strengthening Hypertension Control in Bangladesh: The Role of NCD Corners and Digital Innovation,” he said hypertension affects about 28 percent of Bangladeshi adults, or nearly 22.8 million people.

He said NCDs account for 71 percent of all deaths in Bangladesh, while premature mortality from NCDs stands at 51 percent, higher than the global average of 41 percent.

“Despite the huge burden, only 5 percent of Bangladesh’s total health budget is currently allocated for NCD control,” he said.

Zakir said Bangladesh currently has 446 NCD corners nationwide, while more than 918,000 hypertension patients and 731,000 diabetes patients have been digitally registered.

He said the WHO had recognised Bangladesh as a “success story” after the country’s hypertension control rate rose from 15 percent to 56 percent over the past six years.

Riad Arefin, deputy general manager of Essential Drugs Company Limited, said the state-owned company has been supplying medicines to all 446 NCD corners since fiscal year 2019–20.

He requested advance demand forecasts to ensure uninterrupted supply.