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BEIJING: High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects one in five Chinese and kills more people than any other disease in the country, said a leading cardiologist.
An estimated 300 million Chinese are living with high blood pressure, with annual medical bills totaling 31.89 billion yuan (about 4.88 billion US dollars), said Hu Shengshou, director of the China National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases.
“Chronic disease has become one of the leading causes of death and disability in China,” he told a national conference on prevention and control of hypertension over the weekend.
According to the World Health Organization, hypertension can cause serious damage to the heart, including heart attacks, heart failure, irregular heartbeats, kidney damage, and burst or blocked arteries, which can lead to strokes.
A recent report on chronic diseases and nutrition of Chinese residents showed that the prevalence rates of hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol among Chinese over the age of 18 have risen respectively to 27.5 percent, 11.9 percent and 8.2 percent.
China plans to launch a pilot program in its communities in January to synergize the fights against high blood pressure, high blood sugar and hyperlipidemia, with the goal of improving disease management, treatment and control.
The program is expected to cover 200,000 people and expand to 34 districts and counties by 2022, said Cai Jun, the official in charge of the program.
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