The burden of hypertension

Arterial hypertension is among the leading global risks for mortality, being responsible for 9.4 million deaths in 2010. The reason for this enormous burden has been documented in multiple studies. Hypertension is strongly associated with overall cardiovascular risk. Increased blood pressure contributes to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular endpoints, such as myocardial infarction, heart failure, cardiovascular death and stroke. In addition, an age-dependent positive correlation exists between systolic blood pressure (SBP)/ diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and stroke, as well as between SBP/DBP and ischaemic heart disease. All these data suggest that hypertension is the number one risk for mortality because of its dominant role in cardiovascular pathogenesis. Despite a recently documented fall in blood pressure levels during the last decade in Europe, it appears very likely that hypertension, as a strong age-dependent risk factor, will remain one of the most crucial cardiovascular risk factors in an ageing world population. Along these lines, the well-known suboptimal hypertension control rates should be of great concern, and the identification and study of new strategies for an improvement in awareness and effective treatment for hypertension are absolutely essential.