A multicomponent intervención
for the control of hypertension
Guatemala City, May 18, 2020
Preventing, diagnosing and controlling high blood pressure is necessary, even more so in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hypertension is the main risk for cardiovascular diseases, such as acute myocardial infarction or cerebrovascular events. It is estimated that, in the region of the Americas, arterial hypertension affects around 20-40% of the adult population, which is around 250 million people (1). At the Member Countries of INCAP, the prevalence of hypertension in people over 18 years of age is between 18.7% and 22.7% (2)
World Hypertension Day is celebrated every May 17 with the aim of raising awareness in the population about the risks of this disease and its prevention.
This initiative is in charge of the World Hypertension League, and this year its motto is "Measure your blood pressure, control it, live longer." However, due to the emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the commemoration of this day has been postponed to October 17, 2020 (3). Due to this emergency, the need to prevent, diagnose and control arterial hypertension will be of greater importance to the authorities of the Member Countries. This is due to emerging evidence suggesting an elevated risk of developing severe COVID-19 in patients with cardiovascular disease.
Governments must promote public health strategies to control chronic diseases, in order to protect this vulnerable population. Currently, the INCAP Research Center for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases (CIIPEC) and the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS), in collaboration with the University of Tulane and the University of Colorado Denver in the USA, and the Center for Excellence in Cardiovascular Health for South America (CESCAS), from Argentina, carry out the implementation of a multicomponent intervention for the control of hypertension in rural communities. The intervention comprises an algorithm-based blood pressure treatment, home pressure monitoring, and counseling sessions, as one of its components. It is hoped that this project can be adopted at the national level and later among the member countries.
INCAP joins the global efforts in this commemoration, in order to contribute to the control and prevention of arterial hypertension and chronic non-communicable diseases.
- Organización Panamericana de la Salud. Hipertensión [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2020 May 7]. Available from: https://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_topics&view=article&id=221&Itemid=40878&lang=es
- Pan American Health Organization. Noncommunicable diseases in the Region of the Americas: facts and figures. Washington, D.C.: PAHO; 2019 Aug.
- World Hypertension League. World Hypertension Day [Internet]. 2020. [cited 2020 May 7]. Available from: https://www.whleague.org/index.php/features/world-hypertension-day
