Rising Concern of High Blood Pressure in Thailand and Its Impact on Society and Economy

In the past, the results of the survey on patients with high blood pressure in Thailand between 2004 and 2009 was 21% due to the nature of society changing to an urban society leading to more pressure height Eating food that tastes salty makes people fatter. Causes the movement of people to high blood pressure, in the year 2014 it increased to 25% and in 2020 it increased to 25.4%, although the number of patient statistics did not increase much. But if compared to the total Thai population, an increase of 1% is equivalent to an increase of about 100,000 people with high blood pressure Compared to 20 years ago, there were 10 million Thai people with high blood pressure, and now The number of patients has increased to 14 million, indicating the movement of more patients every year.

However, the concern today is that people are not aware of the importance of measuring their own blood pressure regularly. Making the patient not aware that they are ill From the study of 13 million patients mentioned above, only 50% of those are aware that they are ill, and only half of the patients treatment will be able to control the blood pressure as targeted. If ignored, it will make Thailand have more patients with high blood pressure. It certainly affects society and the economy. Due to the treatment of high blood pressure, doctors make appointment of patients every 4-6 months for continuous treatment. This causes patients to have to take time off work to see a doctor, which can disrupt business and cause people to incur costs during treatment, including medication, travel costs, etc., which causes stress from illness, etc.

“For high blood pressure, it is a disease that can be treated but not cured. High blood pressure, even if there are no symptoms. But if left untreated, it can affect your health in the long run. It causes atherosclerosis, causing ischemic stroke or paralysis. Finally, when various organs inside the body are completely damaged and the patient dies. Or in the case where the patient is in a level of problems, treatment will be more difficult. and there must be additional costs As a result, the quality of life of the population has decreased. These problems affect society and the economy.”

In addition, data from the Ministry of Public Health and the National Statistics Office from 2007-2019 indicate that the death rate of Thai people is caused by kidney failure. Coronary heart disease High blood pressure or brain hemorrhage The number has increased. Some causes went up to 100%, the Office for National Statistics said. The number of deaths from high blood pressure and cerebral hemorrhage has increased from about 30 to 50 deaths per 100,000 people, which is a significant increase. This makes the overall picture of the high blood pressure situation in Thailand not very good.

Thailand Hypertension Association It has worked proactively in the public sector by working with the private sector. A Facebook page has been created. “Because of the pressure, you have to pay attention. #BecauseIsayso” to educate people with high blood pressure, allowing people to learn more on their own. Give interviews or write articles to educate the public. Including organizing World Hypertension Day. which falls on May 17 every year. There are seminars and activities to educate the public in several hospitals. and a forum for the exchange of knowledge from experts regarding various aspects of high blood pressure. To publicize and for doctors to listen.

With the project to screen for high blood pressure (Measurement Month of May), which the Thai Hypertension Association collaborates with the World Blood Pressure Confederation to jointly campaign every year in May 2024, starting from May in July c]t Requests the cooperation of those who check blood pressure at home. If you are happy and interested in cooperation with the association. To collect blood pressure data for use in research, you can scan a QR code to take part in a short questionnaire. and report blood pressure results of themselves or family members 3 times

If anyone measures blood pressure 3 times and the average is greater than or equal to 140/90 mm.Hg. You are considered to be within the criteria for high blood pressure. It is recommended that you receive treatment at the Muj Hospital that suits you. In addition, we would like to give knowledge and advice to those who are likely to have high blood pressure. treatment process up