According to a new report by the Institute Of Medicine, high blood pressure is a neglected disease in the United States. The report calls for strategies to change Americans’ lifestyles and diets to curb hypertension.
High blood pressure or hypertension is easily preventable through diet, exercise and drugs, yet it is the second-leading cause of death in the United States, said committee chair. Hypertension as a disease is relatively easy to diagnose and it’s inexpensive to treat, yet one in six deaths in the United States is due to hypertension, and it costs the healthcare system $73 billion each year in expenses.
The report calls for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work with partners in the public and private sectors to promote policies that make it easier for people to engage in regular physical activity, cut calories, and reduce their intake of foods containing high levels of sodium, while increasing their exposure and access to produce and other foods containing potassium.
Source: Institute Of Medicine
