Youngsters across Kashmir grappling with Hypertension: Survey

Decades of braving conflict, curfews, lockdowns, deaths and physical injuries have definitely cost Kashmir its health as the latest round of National Family Health Survey(NFHS) has revealed that J&K has 18.9 percent men and 20 percent women in the above 15 age group who are battling hypertension.

While 21.3% of women and 24% of men aged above 15 have hypertension in India, J&K has 20% women and 18.9% men in the same age group (above 15) who have hypertension.

In the pre-hypertensive category, while the prevalence is 39 percent women and 49 percent men aged above 15 in the country, J&K has 55.9 percent women and 60.3 percent men, in the same age group, stated the latest report (NFHS-5) which was recently released by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in Vadodara, Gujarat.

According to the report, in J&K, 0.8 percent of women who are aged above 15 have normal blood pressure, while in the same age group, 0.5 percent of men have blood pressure. As per NFHS, 1 percent of men are in the severely elevated range, 1.8 percent are in the moderately elevated range and 12.3 percent of men have mildly elevated blood pressure. Besides this, 24.7 percent of men have normal BP.

However, the report also stated that among women aged above 15, 29.4 percent have normal blood pressure. In the same age bracket, 11.7 percent, 2.1 percent and 1 percent of women are in the mildly elevated, moderately elevated and severely elevated range.

Among the Northern States, the prevalence of hypertension among women is the sixth highest in J&K with 20 percent of women having been diagnosed with hypertension. For men, the report stated, J&K has the third lowest rate of men diagnosed with hypertension.

Notably, High blood pressure or commonly known as hypertension is a common condition in which the long-term force of the blood against the artery walls is high enough that it may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease.

Overall, the report has found that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 65% of all deaths in India. The major metabolic risk factors for NCDs are obesity, high blood pressure and high blood glucose in the blood.

Based on blood pressure measurement during the survey, the report noted, 21.3% of women aged above 15 have hypertension, including 12.4% with mildly elevated blood pressure, 3.6% with moderately elevated blood pressure, and 1.6% with severely elevated blood pressure in India.

Besides, hypertension NFHS has also revealed the patterns of high blood glucose by background characteristics which are quite similar to those of hypertension. For both men and women, the report noted, the prevalence of high and very high blood glucose increases sharply with age.

Among the states, the prevalence of combined high and very high blood glucose among women aged above 15 ranges from 6 percent in Ladakh to 21 percent in Kerala. For men, the prevalence ranges from 7 percent each in Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir to 24 percent in Kerala.

According to the survey, in J&K, 92.7 percent of women and 93 percent of men have normal blood glucose (sugar) levels. However, 4.2 percent and 3.1 percent of women have high and very high sugar levels respectively, while for men, high and very high blood glucose levels range from 4.3 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively.