Rich or Poor, Educated or Not, All Face Risk for Hypertension

[Abhila]

Hypertension is a global problem that affects poorer countries as much as it affects more affluent ones, a new study suggests. A cross-sectional study of some 1.2 million adults in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) found that overall, rates of hypertension were similar across all levels of education and wealth. The one outlier was Southeast Asia. There, higher levels of education and household wealth were associated with a greater prevalence of hypertension, but the absolute difference was small

[Krisha]

@abhila High blood pressure is sometimes assumed to be a result of "Westernized" lifestyles characterised by a high intake of calorie-dense foods and salt and low physical activity. As a result, the condition is frequently thought of as mainly afflicting wealthier segments of society in LMICs, which may in part be responsible for the low degree of funding and attention that hypertension in LMICs has received thus far, Geldsetzer said.