Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, May 17: Hypertension is a silent killer and around half of the population in J&K is hypertensive but most of them are unaware about it, Dr Nisar ul Hassan said on Tuesday.
Dr Nisar who is also president of Doctors Association of Kashmir said that almost every other person in J&K is hypertensive.
He said that a blood pressure lowering pill at bedtime prevents heart attacks and strokes.
According to Dr Nisar, hypertension is one of the common diseases in J&K and there is a need to have separate hypertension clinics at tertiary care hospitals besides district hospitals.
He suggested patients with high blood pressure need to relax for a few minutes and it is not possible in general ward or OPD. So, separate hypertension clinics are needed, he added.
Dr Nisar said that it is a myth that everyone suffering from a headache is a hypertension patient. “But truth is that hypertension is invariably a silent disease and population based screening is vital. There is a need to reach more and more people and screen them so that we can pick up patients early,” he added.
He suggested lifestyle modification and reduction in salt intake in food and eating potassium rich foods.
Paediatric hypertension is a reality and after three years of age every child must be screened and if ignored it may trigger complications in adults, he said.
