Srinagar, May 18 (KNO): Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, is rapidly emerging as one of the biggest public health concerns in Kashmir, with doctors warning that the condition is silently affecting a significant portion of the population, including young adults and even school-going children.
Medical experts described hypertension as a “silent killer” because it often develops without noticeable symptoms, while gradually damaging vital organs and increasing the risk of heart attacks, brain strokes, kidney failure and other life-threatening complications.
Speaking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Dr Mohammad Salim Khan, Head of the Department of Community Medicine at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, said hypertension has become the most prevalent non-communicable disease and is affecting nearly every third or fourth person.
“Hypertension is the most prevalent non-communicable disease affecting every third to fourth person. However, being without any symptoms, it affects the end organs and can cause heart attacks, brain strokes and other complications unless diagnosed early and treated properly,” he said.
Dr Khan said the growing burden of hypertension is closely linked to drastic lifestyle and dietary changes witnessed in recent years.
“The lifestyle changes, including high consumption of salt, oils and fats, fast foods, sugars, along with sedentary lifestyle, minimal physical activity, stress and addiction to tobacco, alcohol and narcotics, are major risk factors pushing people towards hypertension at an early age,” he said.
He warned that hypertension and pre-hypertension are no longer confined to older people, stating that adolescents and even young children are increasingly being diagnosed with the condition.
Doctors expressed concern that a majority of patients remain unaware that they are suffering from high blood pressure until serious complications develop.
“The majority of hypertensive patients are unaware of their condition, which can eventually lead to cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes. Even among diagnosed patients, many fail to take medicines regularly,” Dr Khan said.
Highlighting Kashmir-specific dietary habits, Dr Khan said excessive consumption of traditional salted tea and bakery products is also contributing significantly to the problem.
“Noon Chai consumption by Kashmiris is one of the major contributors to hypertension in the Kashmiri population. Further, the local bakery products, particularly kandur tchot, also contain considerable amounts of salt,” he said.
Doctors said while the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a daily salt intake of less than five grams, many Kashmiris consume nearly double or even triple that amount through traditional foods and eating habits.
Dr Aabid Hussain from the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir (DHSK), posted in south Kashmir, said hypertension continues to remain largely undetected because it usually does not produce obvious symptoms.
“Every third or fourth adult in our area has hypertension, but almost half of them are unaware of their condition, as hypertension often shows no symptoms during its course apart from vague complaints that are often attributed to other illnesses,” he said.
He added that poor control of blood pressure among diagnosed patients is another major concern. “Unfortunately, four out of five hypertensive patients do not keep their blood pressure under control, which can lead to severe consequences including heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure,” Dr Aabid said.
According to doctors, increasing screen time, lack of outdoor activities, unhealthy eating patterns and mounting stress levels are accelerating the rise in hypertension among younger generations.
They stressed the need for mass awareness programmes in schools, colleges and workplaces to educate people about healthy lifestyle choices and preventive measures. They advised that all adults should get their blood pressure checked at least once every year, while people above 30 years of age should undergo regular screening even if they do not experience symptoms.
The doctors recommended regular physical exercise such as walking, jogging, swimming and outdoor sports, alongside reducing salt, sugar and oil intake, avoiding smoking, alcohol and narcotics, maintaining a healthy body weight and managing stress effectively.
They also called for the inclusion of annual blood pressure screening in school health programmes to detect hypertension early among children and adolescents—(KNO)