High blood pressure(HBP) is a systolic blood pressure higher than 130 millimetres of mercury {mmHg} or a diastolic blood pressure of more than 80 mmHg which requires medication.

The systolic or top number measures the force of blood against the walls of the artery as your heart pumps blood throughout the body.  Diastolic or the lower number represents the force of blood against the artery walls between heartbeats when the heart muscles relaxes.

Primary or essential hypertension is the most common form of HBP whose cause is not clearly identifiable although medical experts believe it is linked to diet, stress, being overweight and lack of physical activity.  Secondary hypertension is high blood pressure which has an identifiable cause, such as kidney disease.

In the United States of America, high blood pressure or hypertension was listed as the main contributing factor of deaths in 2019,  accounting for more than half a million deaths. Almost half of the adults 47% or 116 million have hypertension.

HBP causes the heart to pump blood rather forcefully, generating a blood pressure higher than 130/80. Risk factors associated with high blood pressure is: excessive weight, family history, a diet high in fats and salt, smoking and lack of physical activity. Being black or of African descent   also places you at risk.

Studies have indicated that Blacks or persons of African descent are more susceptible, as they represent a huge percentage of the HBP statistics worldwide. The condition is said to be more prevalent in urban or indigent communities.

Hypertension is like a global plague sweeping across continents and countries. It is vastly becoming an epidemic within the Caribbean.  Governments throughout the region have had to increase their budget as they grapple with huge quantities of procurement of HBP medications.

It is the most costly condition covered by the Medical Benefits Scheme; it accounts for 26% of monthly dispenses. This equates to over $1.7 million dollars spent from January 2021 to June 2021 on solely hypertensive medications.

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is appealing to governments, civil society, private sector, academia, community based and faith based organisations to join force in an effort to reduce the high rate of high blood pressure in the region to 25% by 2025 and premature mortality to 33% by 2030.

Certain actions have already been laid out by CARPHA to assist the process among which are: developing public education campaign to improve public knowledge, and creating community screening programmes for the early detection of high blood pressure.

Additionally, they have recommended safeguarding capacity building of the health care workforce, to accurately measure blood pressure, to prevent and treat hypertension as well as promoting and supporting policies to help with stress management, increase physical activity, reduce unhealthy food environment, tobacco use and air pollution.