HYPERTENSION AMONG M'SIAN ADULTS INCREASED

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 (Bernama) -- The prevalence of hypertension among
Malaysian adults has increased compared to 10 years ago, said Health Minister
Liow Tiong Lai.

He said the latest National Health and Morbidity Survey in 2006 reported
that 43 percent of Malaysian adults age 30 years and above had hypertension, an
increase from 33 percent recorded 10 years earlier.

"The survey also revealed that among hypertension patients who were on drug
treatment, only 26 percent of them had achieved the target blood pressure," he
said when launching the 7th Asian-Pacific Congress on Hypertension 2009 here
Thursday.

The congress will be held for four days beginning Thursday.

Liow said what was alarming was that almost two thirds of individuals with
hypertension in Malaysia were unaware of it, and although there was an increase
in the treatment rate for patients who had been diagnosed, the control rate was
still poor.



He said it was estimated that there were about 4.8 million individuals with
hypertension in Malaysia, while the estimated figure worldwide was around 1
billion.

In order to improve the situation, Liow urged Malaysians to go for regular
medical check ups and to check their blood pressure to prevent getting
hypertension.

-- BERNAMA