High Blood Pressure: A Global Risk Factor That Can't Be Ignored - Research Paper

Introduction

Hypertension is among the leading global factors of risk that can be modified and relates to cardiovascular disease. It is, therefore, the key risk for disability and death as it is among the leading risks for morbidity, mortality, and complications that are significant in Canada. Reports have it that, for the adults whose ages exceed 25 years, four out of ten have high blood pressure, a factor that contributes to the annual deaths of up to 9.4 million people and 162 million years of the lost lives globally as per the 2010 report (Padwal et al., 2016). The result is that the World Health Organization (WHO) currently targets a global reduction of up to 25 % of cases related to high blood pressure that is uncontrolled by the year 2025. (Schiffrin et al., 2016). The target has been initialized in many nations across the globe, including Canada.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The Risks Associated With Hypertension

The total number of people living with high blood pressure in Canada is up to approximately 7.5 million individuals. Besides, another population of about 7.4million Canadians is at the same exposure of contracting hypertension, with 9 out of 10 adults developing it if they lead a lifespan that is considered normal (Leung et al., 2019). Canada spends an amount that exceeds 13 million dollars in its systems of healthcare. These were the accrued indirect and direct expenditures of healthcare according to the nation's health statistical report of 2010. However, the cost has doubled by 2020 without clear measures to counter it. It is a great concern that the healthy public interventions that prevent the spread of high blood pressure and clinical measures to control it can help Canada save the costs (Padwal et al., 2016). For example, there is estimation that establishing a healthy environment of food in the nation offers the chances of boosting its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while it also significantly improves the health of the Canadian citizens at the same time.

Statistical Causes of Hypertension and Their Remedies in Canada

In an estimation of the affected population, a quarter of Canadian citizens whose ages fall between the ranges of 20 to 79 years are hypertensive (Schiffrin et al., 2016). The reason being is that most of them rarely engage themselves in any physical activities. They only take part in physical exercises in durations that are not more than two and a half hours throughout the entire week. They, therefore, involve themselves in moderate-vigorous physical exercises for less than 150 minutes the whole week. They also eat vegetables and fruits less than five times every day. Most are diabetic, being obese or overweight, and having chronic kidney diseases (Leung et al., 2019). Such individuals, therefore, boost their chances of associating themselves with higher pressure levels of blood, thus their increased chances of being hypertensive.

When such risk factors are combined, there is a strong positive gradient that they are likely to develop high blood pressure. Majorly, being obese or overweight, less frequency of fruits and vegetable consumption, being inactive, and diabetic are the contributing factors of risk that trigger the serious attribution of many cases related to hypertension in the Canadian population. The fact that Canada considers these risk factors to not having any association with high blood pressure limits the rates that reflect the very boosted chances of awareness and the therapy of antihypertension application among the victims of hypertension in its population (Padwal et al., 2016). Considering the alteration of such factors into positive measures and incorporating them with generally good health behaviors and leading a healthy lifestyle will ensure the control and reduction of high blood pressure infections and any other sicknesses that are associated with it. Participation in physical exercises in a reasonable manner, consumption of a diet that incorporates the intake of vegetables and fruits, keeping and maintaining a healthy weight of the body would ensure the lowering of blood pressure among those who stand the risks of being victims of hypertension.

Additionally, counseling remedies would promote behaviors that are healthy such as involvement of individuals in activities of general body fitness, consuming a healthy diet, and management of body weight are some of the measures that would see Canada reduce the cases of hypertension. Observation of such measures by the nation's population would enable the reduction of blood pressure in individuals who are not hypertensive, yet stand a chance of being victims. It would limit the cases related to the factors of cardiovascular risks (Leung et al., 2019). However, the determination of the effects that are independent in every component of a lifestyle that is considered healthy, on issues revolving around blood pressure is quite a challenge, because the risk factors greatly relate to each other.

Conclusion

Generally, the prevalence of high blood pressure in Canada rises steadily. Systolic hypertension that is isolated is estimated to be prevalent two times in females than in males. The continued application of antihypertensive drugs and adjustments in control are significantly apparent. Efforts that are coordinated and geared towards improving the control and treatment of hypertension in Canada are still necessary.

References

Leung, A. A., Bushnik, T., Hennessy, D., McAlister, F. A., & Manuel, D. G. (2019). Risk factors for hypertension in Canada. Health Reports: Statistics Canada, 30(2), 3-13. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2019002/article/00001-eng.htm

Padwal, R. S., Bienek, A., McAlister, F. A., Campbell, N. R., & Outcomes Research Task Force of the Canadian Hypertension Education Program. (2016). Epidemiology of hypertension in Canada: an update. Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 32(5), 687-694. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/190220/dq190220a-eng.htm

Schiffrin, E. L., Campbell, N. R., Feldman, R. D., Kaczorowski, J., Lewanczuk, R., Padwal, R., & Tobe, S. W. (2016). Hypertension in Canada: past, present, and future. Annals of global health, 82(2), 288-299. https://hypertension.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Hypertension-Framework-Update-2015_Oct_26.pdf