AI Summary
High blood pressure is a major cause of deaths worldwide and is linked to various health issues. Despite effective treatments, the number of adults with high blood pressure has doubled since 1990. Summary unavailable.
High systolic blood pressure is the top risk factor for attributable deaths and, in 2019, hypertension accounted for about a fifth of all deaths (around 11 million) globally. This highly preventable and treatable condition is the leading risk factor for ischaemic stroke and intracerebral haemorrhage and is implicated in other non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cerebral small vessel disease and dementia. Despite widespread knowledge about how to diagnose and define hypertension, and the availability of effective and cheap antihypertensive drugs, the number of adults with high blood pressure has doubled since 1990, to about 1·3 billion in 2019.