Risk Factor For Global Disease Burden - 3283 Words

Essential or primary hypertension, the world’s leading risk factor for global disease burden, is expected to cause more than half of the estimated 17 million deaths per year resulting from cardiovascular disease (CVD) worldwide.1 Defined as an elevation of blood pressure (BP) beyond 140/90 mm Hg, hypertension is strongly correlated with adverse outcomes such as stroke, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and end stage renal disease. The challenges of managing hypertension and preventing the development of these latter outcomes are unlikely to relent; the global burden of hypertension is projected to increase by 60% to affect approximately 1.6 billion adults worldwide by 2025.2 In this month’s topic review in Circulation: Cardiovascular†¦show more content†¦These patients with resistant hypertension carry substantial risk of adverse events.5 The emergence of renal artery de-innervation may herald a novel and effective procedural option to treat these patients .6 The challenges highlighted are pertinent to many populations. Many low- and middle-income countries, most of which are in the midst of the epidemiological transition, face rapidly increasing prevalence of hypertension in the context of limited healthcare resources. In these countries, diagnosis and appropriate management of hypertension remains disconcertingly low.7 Developing innovative and cost-effective solutions to improve hypertension diagnosis and control thus remains a key priority.8 These issues are not limited to developing countries alone; less than 50% of the US patients have appropriate BP control9 despite good access to care, a wealth of evidence surrounding lifestyle modification, and the presence of highly efficacious anti-hypertensive therapies. Indeed, such persistent deficiencies have fueled national initiatives such as the HealthyPeople 2020 and the Million Hearts initiative to focus on