(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) A senior UAE cardiologist has warned that one in three adults in the UAE is affected by hypertension. He added that entrepreneurs, business owners, CEOs and senior managers are more prone to hypertension due to high stress levels.
These statistics were revealed at a healthcare media roundtable hosted recently by Takeda, research-driven Japanese healthcare company.
One of the key speakers, Dr Abdullah Shehab, Chairman of Arab Board Examination for Internal Medicine and Cardiology Fellowship for the Arab Countries, Associate Professor at the department of Internal Medicine at the UAE University and Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at Al Ain and Al Noor Hospitals, highlighted a recent study that revealed that usually UAE nationals got strokes 10 years later than UAE expatriates.
Dr Mohamed Salem, Consultant Interventional Cardiology and Endovascular Medicine in American Hospital, Dubai added: "Hypertension can go undetected for years as there are no obvious symptoms. The majority of cases in the UAE are due to lifestyle and not genetics."
Dr Shehab revealed that while awareness of hypertension was not too bad, its management was not up to the mark, as people suffering from hypertension were not keen to make lifestyle changes.
Dr Salem added: "Obesity, lack of exercise, aging, mental stress are all causes of hypertension. The majority of the causes are stress related, however, we can't ignore the other factors."
"Hypertension is the leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke and a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is a chronic medical condition which is usually defined as having a blood pressure of 140 mmHg or greater systolic and/or 90 mmHg or greater diastolic. It was initially measured as having a blood pressure of 160 mmHg systolic but lowered to 140 mmHg systolic about a decade ago," said Dr Shehab.
"People with hypertension should see their doctor every six months even if they think that there is no urgency. This is more critical if they suffer from obesity, stress or family history of the disease," said Dr Shehab.
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