(Maggie Fox/ CTV News) — A giant global study finds the number of people over 30 with high blood pressure has doubled over the past 30 years, and more than half of them are not being treated for it.
That’s even though many cheap and easy treatments exist — from healthier diet and exercise to pills that safely lower blood pressure using a variety of mechanisms.
It’s also easy to measure, but many people are evidently not getting even this basic level of care in rich and poor countries alike, the study published in the Lancet medical journal finds. The result: 8.5 million deaths every year, according to the World Health Organization. High blood pressure causes stroke, heart failure and failure of other organs such as the kidneys. (…)