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Health Advice to take with No Pinch of Salt
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Context
While public concern has focused on COVID-19 vaccines and their potential link to blood clots, hypertension, a proven and preventable risk factor for heart attacks and strokes, continues to be a major but often overlooked health issue. The WHO's 2023 report highlights the global and national burden of hypertension.
Hypertension: The Silent Killer
- Global Impact: Hypertension is the leading risk factor for early deaths, responsible for 10.8 million preventable deaths annually. It causes more deaths than tobacco use and high blood sugar.
- Prevalence: The number of adults with hypertension nearly doubled since 1990, reaching 1.3 billion. 311 million Indians have hypertension, three times the number of diabetics in the country. Indian adults consume 8-11 grams of salt daily, twice the WHO recommendation. High salt intake causes an estimated 175,000 deaths annually in India.
- Reducing Salt Intake: Excessive salt intake is a key risk factor for hypertension, contributing to two million cardiovascular deaths in 2019. Reducing salt intake can lower cardiovascular risks by 30% and mortality by 20%.
India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI)
- Strategies: The IHCI implements simplified drug protocols, strengthens the drug supply chain, and focuses on team-based, decentralized care.
- Recognition and Expansion: The IHCI received the 2022 UN Interagency Task Force Award and expanded to over 140 districts in 2023. Achieving 50% hypertension control by 2050 could prevent 76 million cardiovascular deaths globally and 4.6 million deaths in India by 2040.
- Recommendations for Hypertension Control: Awareness and public health interventions, address modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors, reduce salt consumption, multi-sectoral action, stronger food regulation.
Mains Question:
Discuss the public health significance of hypertension in India, highlighting the challenges in its management and control. What strategies can be implemented to address this silent killer effectively?
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