One in three people have high blood pressure, but many do not know it

A global study involving researchers from the RPH Research Foundation and The University of Western Australia has found more than a third of people have high blood pressure, but many are unaware they have it.

The study was published today - World Hypertension Day - in the medical journal LANCET Global Health.

Researchers found 34.5 per cent of those studied worldwide had elevated blood pressure (above 140/90mmHg). Of those, 17.0 per cent were not receiving treatment and 46.3 per cent were receiving treatment but still had uncontrolled blood pressure.

Blood pressure is the biggest killer world-wide, accounting for more than 10 million deaths each year.

Australian study leader UWA Professor Markus Schlaich, who holds the Dobney Chair in Clinical Research at the RPH Research Foundation said the results were alarming. 

“Even though effective treatments for this condition are widely available, only half of the people affected by it are being treated, and of those treated only 60 per cent are having their blood pressure adequately controlled,” Professor Schlaich said.

“This tells us that the majority of people who have high blood pressure may have never had it measured and are unaware of their condition.”

High blood pressure currently affects more than a billion adults globally with the figure forecast to reach 1.5 billion by 2025.

Professor Schlaich said high blood pressure didn’t always have obvious symptoms, but the consequences of leaving it untreated could be catastrophic, potentially leading to stroke, kidney or heart failure.

“We strongly encourage people to find out if their blood pressure is under control or if they have any undiagnosed issues,” he said.