Global Courant 2023-05-20 16:00:29
Hypertension is one of the chronic diseases that is gaining ground in Guatemala. According to the Ministry of Health, around 4 million people suffer from it, however, only 55% have been diagnosed, and of this group only 35% are receiving treatment.
Although it is associated with the elderly, more and more young adults are being identified with high blood pressure and cases are beginning to occur in the 30-year-old range, according to doctors.
Once detected, the disease requires lifelong medication. Not only does it increase the out-of-pocket expense of households, but it also impairs the patient’s quality of life, as it causes disability and even causes death.
“Chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as arterial hypertension, have a negative impact on productivity at the country level, because it can generate a burden that affects family dynamics. Families and communities must dedicate time and resources to caring for the sick, purchasing supplies and medicines,” says the Chronic Diseases Program of the Ministry of Health, in the context of World Hypertension Day that was commemorated on May 17. .
Those who do not have the resources abandon treatment, but this represents a danger, since not having the disease controlled triggers other problems such as heart attack, stroke, heart failure, chronic kidney disease and blindness due to damage to the retina.
The situation is not encouraging in Guatemala in terms of arterial hypertension, since in 15 years the cases treated in the public health system increased 187%, while deaths from this cause increased 190%, as detailed by official data.
It is a negative impact on the productivity of a country, due to the absence or job abandonment of human resources, but also to early death due to illness.
Only in 2015, in Guatemala 3 thousand 154.3 years of life were lost due to disability, illness or premature mortality (under 70 years of age), for every 100 thousand inhabitants, as a consequence of cardiovascular diseases, among them arterial hypertension, indicates the report Cost of care for non-communicable diseases related to food and their economic impact, prepared by the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama -Incap-.
care is needed
Hypertensive patients need medication for life, and in Guatemala only 20% of patients receiving treatment have the disease under control, according to PAHO data.
Iris Cazali, an internist and head of Infectious Diseases at Roosevelt Hospital, mentions that early diagnosis is essential to avoid complications, medicate the patient and follow-up to ensure that they respond to treatment, but not the entire population has the resources to acquire antihypertensives.
“We can make the diagnosis, we can say what to do, but if they don’t have the means to buy the medication, it’s in vain, that’s why we have patients who arrive with a stroke or a heart attack or kidney failure,” says Cazali.
PAHO indicates that the population with fewer economic resources is at greater risk of presenting the disease, of having heart problems and strokes, since they have limitations to access health services and obtain essential medicines.
From this account, Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), mentioned during a press conference on hypertension that changes are required in health systems to get closer to communities and make early diagnosis, that primary care centers have clinically validated blood pressure measurement devices, and that they provide antihypertensive drugs.
In addition, it points out that it is crucial that countries promote healthy lifestyles among the population, that they promote measures such as frontal warning labeling on processed and ultra-processed products to alert people about their content, low consumption of salt and tobacco.
Read more: More people die from chronic diseases, while the detection of new cases decreases
silent disease
“The problem with high blood pressure is that it is a silent disease, you can go years without having symptoms until you have a heart attack, a stroke or have kidney failure, because if left untreated the arteries are damaged,” says Cazali.
According to the Mayo Clinic, we speak of hypertension when the force exerted by the blood against the walls of the arteries is very high (values 130/80 mmHg or more).
Although the prevalence of the disease in Guatemala is similar in both men and women, since 2022 the Ministry of Health reports an increase in cases among the population over 40 years of age, mainly among the female population.
Read more: Suffering from a chronic disease has a high price
The department with the highest rate of hypertensive population is Santa Rosa, with 5,032 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. According to the Chronic Diseases Program, diet is a risk factor for the disease, and it has detected that the diet of the inhabitants of this place is rich in saturated fats and cholesterol, which frequently generates alterations in blood lipids and entails to have high blood pressure.
Risk factors are overweight and obesity, lack of physical activity, salt intake and alcohol consumption, which must be avoided to prevent the disease.
In people who have already been diagnosed, lifestyle changes and continued antipertensive use are critical to managing the condition.
It is recommended to be physically active for 30 minutes five days a week, reduce salt intake to at least 5 grams per day, increase the intake of fruits and vegetables, and maintain a healthy weight.
Cazali mentions that efforts to promote healthy lifestyles should begin in schools, with children, the impact will not be immediate but in the future there will be healthier generations.
