"Hypertension is one of the precursors or increases the risk to develop other diseases, especially heart disease, kidney failure, diabetes, and stroke," Director of Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health Cut Putri Ariane remarked at a press conference in Jakarta on Friday.
Hypertension that is oftentimes asymptomatic when left untreated will lead to sudden stroke and heart ailments.
Heart disease caused by hypertension is the leading cause of deaths in Indonesia, specifically 36.9 percent of the 1.5 million deaths resulting from the disease.
The highest number of deaths totalling 1.7 million in Indonesia in 2017 were based on risk factors, with hypertension being the highest, at 23.7 percent, followed by high blood sugar arising from diabetes, 18.4 percent; smoking, 12.7 percent; obesity, 7.7 percent; lack of fruit intake, 5.6 percent; and lack of vegetable intake, 4.7 percent.
Indonesia has 63.3 million recorded cases of hypertension, or 34.11 percent of the total populace, with the highest number of cases in South Kalimantan reaching 44.13 percent and the lowest in Papua at 22.22 percent.
Ariane noted that the figure is forecast to increase due to the demographic and technological transitions that has reduced physical activity among humans.
"If you suffer from hypertension, there is no word for recovery, as you have to take lifelong medication," Ariane remarked.
Hence, he has highlighted the significance of early detection and prevention of the risk factors. Ariane elaborated on the shared risk factors -- smoking, high salt intake, sluggish lifestyle, intake of high-fat foods, stress, and obesity -- that cause several non-communicable diseases at once.
He has urged the public to undergo regular health checkups to keep track of their blood pressure and lead a healthy, balanced lifestyle to avoid hypertension.
Translator: Eliswan Azly
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
