Health experts have termed the excessive consumption of salt one of the main reasons behind high blood pressure.
On the other hand, stopping excessive salt intake would reduce the risk of high blood pressure by 50%, they said at a workshop, titled “Hypertension and Heart Health”, at the auditorium of Bangladesh Institution of Planners (BIP) in the city's Banglamotor area on Thursday.
Research and advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) in association with Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) organized the workshop for journalists in two phases from March 28 to 31.
Additional Secretary of the Health Services Division Syed Mojibul Huq, Line Director of Non-communicable Disease Control Programme of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Professor Dr Md Robed Amin, Head of Epidemiology Department of the National Heart Foundation Professor Dr Sohel Reza Chowdhury, National Professional Officer of the World Health Organization in Bangladesh Dr Syed Mahfuzul Haque, Associate Professor of Public Health and Informatics Department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Dr Md Khalequzzaman, GHI Bangladesh country-lead Md Ruhul Quddus and PROGGA Executive Director ABM Zubayer joined the workshop, among others.
According to experts, about 21% adult people are suffering from high blood pressure. But, 51% female and 67% male, who are suffering from the disease, are not aware of it.
Noting that high blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease and cardiovascular-related deaths many folds, they suggested creating mass awareness and making treatment available for the disease.
