MUMBAI:
This World Heart Day, JB Pharma, is spearheading a transformative movement towards creating awareness and prioritizing heart health. Recognizing the urgent need for a paradigm shift, the company stands at the forefront of the fight against hypertension, offering innovative solutions and advocating for comprehensive, holistic approaches to cardiovascular health.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a leading cause of deaths in India, affecting millions of people. According to some studies, the onset of CVD among Indians is observed about 10 years earlier, as compared to the western populations. This early onset of CVD, followed by rapid progression leads to high mortality rates. Hypertension, a disease that comes with no symptoms whatsoever, is one of the largest contributor and risk factor for the CVD burden in India. Precise and reliable blood pressure (BP) measurement is essential for the appropriate diagnosis and management of hypertension.
Dr H K Chopra, Chief Cardiologist, Moolchand Medcity, Delhi said, “One in three Indians is hypertensive according to a recent study published by the ICMR. About seventy two percent of them are uncontrolled, despite being on medications, as per a Lancet Study. Uncontrolled hypertension sooner or later lands the patient into heart failure, a disease that not many people are aware about, despite ten million patients suffering from the disease and the number keeps increasing.”
Not only heart failure, but hypertension can also lead to kidney disease and failure, even before the patient realises it. “The biggest mistake a patient can do, is to ignore hypertension. It needs to be treated, needs to be controlled, so that progression to heart failure and kidney failure can be halted. Control of salt in the diet is the primary step. This step is the most important. Medicines should be taken on time and not missed. Regular monitoring of BP is also necessary. Hypertension is very common in Indian population and co-existing diabetes further adds to the problem.” mentions Dr Shrirang Bichu, Professor and Head, Department of Nephrology, Bombay Hospital
Creating awareness for early diagnosis of hypertension is key in better management and improving quality of life. JB Pharma with its presence across India is highly dedicated to creating patient awareness for hypertension and heart failure through various health campaigns. With its flagship awareness campaign of BP Right Karo, JB Pharma has educated lakhs of patients on the correct way to measure and monitor BP at home. Pan-India Microalbuminuria detection camps have helped in the creating more awareness on hypertension mediated kidney damage in Indian patients. Multiple simple and complex diagnosis camps of ECG, Echo, laboratory testing of cardiac-markers, at subsidised rates or free of cost has been pivotal in creating awareness about heart failure.
In India, studies reveal that a huge chunk of the population lacks awareness of hypertension, and do not know if they are hypertensive, hence the disease is rightly called as the silent killer. Hypertension being one of the major contributors to the growing burden of CVD, it is important that people understand the benefits of early diagnosis of hypertension through regular blood pressure monitoring.
