Epidemiology

How many people are affected?

Approximately 1 billion people are affected by hypertension worldwide. By 2025, the number of people with the condition is estimated to increase to more than 1.5 billion.¹ Globally, 7.1 million deaths and 64.3 million disability-adjusted life years^2,3 have been attributed to non-optimal blood pressure control – half of these events occurring in people with systolic blood pressure levels between 130 and 150 mmHg.

Who is affected?

Certain characteristics may determine whether a person is more likely to develop hypertension than others:

• Age^2,4
• Gender⁵
• Ethnicity⁶

Age: The prevalence of essential hypertension increases steadily with age.⁴ Almost two-thirds of the global disease burden caused by non-optimal blood pressure levels occurs in the middle-aged population (45–69 years).² In both men and women, systolic blood pressure increases with age, whereas diastolic blood pressure flattens out at ages 50–60 years and then begins to decrease. Notably, diastolic blood pressure is a more important determinant of hypertension than systolic blood pressure up to the age of 40 years. As the population ages, the prevalence of hypertension will increase even further.

Gender: More women than men develop essential hypertension in older age.⁵ Blood pressure increases steadily in women from adolescence to menopause.

Ethnicity: About 36% of African-American men and women have hypertension – the highest prevalence of hypertension in the world. African-Americans also show higher rates of stroke and end-stage kidney disease and an increased risk of fatal heart disease compared with Caucasians.  

Are there additional factors that affect hypertension risk?

Several modifiable factors influence the incidence of hypertension:⁷

• Increase in sedentary lifestyle
• Decrease in exercise
• Increase in tobacco smoking
• Increase in alcohol intake
• Weight and body mass index increases
• High salt and saturated fat intake
• Increase in stress 

References