If the criteria for high blood pressure were the same as those considered the previous year, only 9% of American adults would be considered to have cardiovascular disease. This represented 24.3 million people in the United States in 2016. But the American Heart Association (AHA) decided otherwise. “As one of the most common and dangerous risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke, this overwhelming proportion of high blood pressure cannot be discounted in our fight against cardiovascular disease”justifies Ivor Benjamin, president of the AHA at theAFP (quoted by 20 minutes).
Thus, these are close to 121.5 million American adults who were finally affected in 2016 by a “type of cardiovascular disease”. Or nearly one in two Americans. A figure up on previous years, mainly due to new criteria associated with high blood pressure. Research conducted by the American Heart Association has been published in the journal Traffic last January 31.
Upward trend in the United States
Indeed, the level from which arterial hypertension is defined has been lowered from 140/90 mmHg to 130/80 mmHg by the AHA. “Studies have shown that eliminating high blood pressure may have a greater impact on deaths from cardiovascular disease in women than any other risk factor; same with men, with the exception of tobacco”develops Ivor Benjamin.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). “More people die each year from cardiovascular disease than from any other cause”, she says. In 2016, 17.6 million people died from these pathologies, compared to 17.9 million the previous year. A global downward trend, which is not confirmed across the Atlantic. “After decades of steady decline in the United States, the number of deaths linked to cardiovascular diseases is increasing (840,678 deaths in 2016 compared to 836,546 in 2015)”notes the AHA researchers.
They remind us that in 80% of cases, cardiovascular disease can be avoided by adopting a healthy diet, exercising, not smoking, but also by regularly monitoring blood pressure and blood sugar levels. blood and cholesterol.
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