INDIA: High BP Affects Ability To Lift Objects, Walk Up Stairs

NEW DELHI (The Times of India), November 22, 2007: Do your otherwise active grandparents find it difficult sometimes to climb stairs or go out to buy groceries? Check their blood pressure. High blood pressure has so far been synonymous with stroke, heart failure, kidney failure and coronary artery disease. But doctors now say elevated BP, specifically systolic BP-BP when the heart is contracting-increases the risk of disabilities later in life, such as the inability to lift objects, walk up or down stairs, or bathe oneself. In a study reported in the November 20 issue of "Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association", a team of doctors from Harvard Medical School confirmed this trend. "This adds another dimension to how we think about hypertension," said Ihab Hajjar, lead author of the study. "We always think of it as a risk factor for CVDs and heart attacks. But this study shows elevated blood pressure also tends to affect our independence and functional abilities." Senior cardiologist of Apollo Hospital, Dr Deepak Natarajan, said: "High BP is an individual health risk for old people above the age of 70. It not only increases risk of heart diseases, but also causes dementia and limits cognitive functions. Controlling BP is the single most important factor. For those aged above 70, BP should be around 140/80 mmHg. They must not miss their BP medications, reduce their salt intake and do meditation." This has tremendous connotations for India where over 10 crore adults suffer from high BP. Estimates say the disease presently affects about 32 million rural and 34 million urban Indians. What's worse, India will soon have a tremendous volume of aged population. In the study, researchers analyzed data from the Charleston Heart Study, which began in 1960 and collected its last survival data in 2001. They investigated hypertension as a potential reason for why people age differently. By Kounteya Sinha Copyright Times Internet Ltd.