Doctors from Maharashtra have found that many people are falling prey to “masked hypertension”, a phenomenon unknown to many. The study was carried out on participants who never showed any co-morbidity, but on screening showed underlined hypertension which needed treatment.
As these conditions go unnoticed and undiagnosed, doctors have underlined the importance of self-screening and blood pressure tests and this study was initiated.
Hypertension is a condition known to damage multiple organs and hence picking up cases of this morbidity early is needed, doctors said.
Of the 2,026 participants in Maharashtra, 738 were females. Sharing the findings of the study, doctors at a conference said, “19.1% of the participants from Maharashtra (excluding Mumbai) were hypertensive, while 21.7% were found to have “masked hypertension”, which is a serious risk factor to get misdiagnosed.”
Dr Jagdish Hiremath, veteran cardiologist who was also a coordinator for the nine-month study, said, “Masked hypertension is a phenomenon when an individual’s blood pressure reading is normal at the doctor’s clinic, but high at home. There is also another condition named white-coat hypertension which is defined as a condition in which people exhibit a blood pressure level above the normal range in a clinical setting only. White-coat hypertension cases are misdiagnosed and are often put on anti-hypertension drugs, which is an unnecessary medication. On the other hand, a masked hypertension case can go undiagnosed which can further put the patient at risk of developing complications of the heart, the kidneys, and the brain.”
The study “India Heart Study (IHS)” was initiated by Dr Upendra Kaul, cardiologist, chairman and dean, academics and research, Batra Hospital and Medical Research Centre, who was the principal investigator.
{{/usCountry}}The study “India Heart Study (IHS)” was initiated by Dr Upendra Kaul, cardiologist, chairman and dean, academics and research, Batra Hospital and Medical Research Centre, who was the principal investigator.
{{/usCountry}}“The rate of this condition at the first clinic visit is 42 per cent. We found that Indians have an average resting heart rate of 80 beats per minute, higher than the desired rate of 72 beats per minute. Also unlike other countries, Indians have higher blood pressure in the evenings than in mornings which should help doctors to rethink the timing of advising anti-hypertension drug dosage.”
The study, commissioned by Eris Lifesciences, was conducted under the aegis of Batra Hospital and Medical Research Centre where more than 15 states in the country participated.