May 17 is World Hypertension Day, a global endeavor focused on illuminating the importance of hypertension awareness. Against this backdrop, Professor Dr. Tayfun Eyileten, an expert in nephrology at Güven Hospital's Nephrology Department, shares profound insights regarding Türkiye's hypertension landscape.

"Hypertension has many negative effects on the cardiovascular system and kidneys," Eyileten emphasizes, underlining the grave consequences associated with this prevalent condition, he reveals that, "Approximately one in every three people in Türkiye is dealing with hypertension."

What's even more concerning, Eyileten points out, is the alarming rate of undiagnosed cases, "Nearly half of the hypertension patients in our country are unaware that they have hypertension." These revelations underscore the critical need for heightened awareness and proactive measures to combat this silent yet potentially deadly ailment.

'Causes organ damage'

Highlighting that hypertension progresses silently, Eyileten said: "Hypertension generally progresses silently, therefore, most patients are unaware of the disease, the disease often manifests during routine check-ups or examinations for other reasons. When we look at many hypertension patients, we can observe consequences such as cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure, ischemic stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, chronic kidney diseases and end-stage renal failure in the future."

"Research in this field also shows that hypertension actually slowly damages organs and we are not even aware of it. Especially if you have a genetic predisposition to hypertension, you should definitely undergo routine check-ups. This issue carries much greater importance than is commonly believed. We recommend measuring blood pressure at least once a year in normal healthy adults, and at least once every six months in those at high risk such as those with obesity, diabetes or with a positive family history," he added.

'Avoid risk factors'

"Of course, hypertension has risk factors. These include age, obesity, family history, reduced number of nephrons, high salt intake, excessive alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, inadequate sleep and so on. As we age, the risk of hypertension increases," he emphasized.

"We should aim to sleep at least seven hours a day, avoid habits like alcohol and smoking, be more physically active and, if possible, engage in regular exercise and sports. Remember, these risk factors can make you hypertensive in the coming years.

"I would particularly like to emphasize the factor of reduced nephron count. Factors such as intrauterine growth retardation, fetal hypoxia, low birth weight and postnatal malnutrition lead to a decrease in the number of nephrons, significantly increasing the risk of hypertension in later years," he added.

Eyileten recalled that in the Turkish hypertension prevalence study conducted in 2012, the frequency of hypertension in the adult population of Türkiye was found to be 30.3%.

"In women, this rate is 32.3 percent. While in the male population, it is observed as 28.4%. Awareness of the disease among hypertension patients has shown a significant increase compared to previous scientific studies," Eyileten explained.

"Despite progress in awareness and consciousness through studies in this regard, there are still messages we need to make at this point. Only 54% of patients are aware of the disease. In other words, approximately half of the patients are unaware that they have hypertension. This constitutes a very serious health problem for our country. The probability of contracting the complications mentioned is quite high for patients who are unaware of the disease and do not receive appropriate treatment."

"Some 65%-90% of chronic kidney disease patients have hypertension," Eyileten mentioned, noting that both acute and chronic kidney patients are affected. "The cause-and-effect relationship between hypertension and kidney disease is quite complex. Hypertension not only leads to kidney disease but kidney disease itself is also a significant cause of hypertension," he added.

Dr. Eyileten continued: "The role of the kidney in regulating blood pressure is crucial. It can cause blood pressure to rise by retaining salt and water, thereby increasing cardiac output. Approximately 90% of patients undergoing hemodialysis for end-stage renal failure have hypertension. This rate decreases to around 65% in milder kidney failures."

"In Türkiye and worldwide, hypertension ranks second after diabetes in the development of end-stage renal failure."

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a common condition where the pressure in your arteries is elevated. It often shows no symptoms but can lead to serious health problems like heart disease and stroke if left untreated. Lifestyle factors like diet, exercise and smoking can affect it. Treatment usually involves lifestyle changes and medication.