Srinagar, Nov 1: There is a common perception in Kashmir, that hypertension is something to worry about only as you grow older. The latest health survey has found a striking trend – while blood pressure affected females are decreasing nationally, J&K is on an opposite trend – now one in every four women here has hypertension.
One in every four women, who are 15 years and above in J&K has elevated blood pressure. They may also be taking medication to control it, according to the National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6). What is more concerning is that the proportion has climbed from 20 percent in NFHS-5 (2019-21) to 25 percent in NFHS-6 (2023-24). There is a five-percentage-point increase in J&K, a significant rise against the national trend. Across India, the proportion of women with elevated blood pressure or taking medication has declined from 21.3 percent to 19.4 percent as measured by NFHS 5 and NFHS 6.
Men have not been spared either – the percentage of men aged 15 and above with elevated blood pressure has increased from 18.9 percent to 20.9 percent.
The findings point towards the growing cardiovascular risk burden in J&K. Hypertension often develops without noticeable symptoms and can remain undetected for years, while it may be putting an individual to risk nevertheless.
Although hypertension is commonly associated with ageing, doctors have repeatedly warned that changing lifestyles are responsible to a large extent. Unhealthy dietary habits, physical inactivity, stress and excessive salt consumption are contributing to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.
DrIrfanBhat, noted consultant and interventional cardiologist at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, has summed up the relationship between inherited susceptibility and lifestyle in a telling phrase: “Genetics load the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger.”
DrBhat has called for early screening for all adults, and in particular for people with family history of hypertension, smoking, and obesity.
The concern is particularly relevant in Kashmir, where dietary habits include substantial consumption of salt-rich traditional foods. Sedentary routines and limited physical activity add to cardiovascular risks.
Hypertension in J&K is difficult to isolate from the obesity epidemic. One in every two urban women in J&K carries excess weight.
Mohammad Salim Khan, former Head of Department of Community Medicine, GMC Srinagar, said undiagnosed cases are a real worry. Most people are unaware of their hypertension and do not modify risk factors. “They are sitting on a time bomb,” he said.
Uncontrolled hypertension is among the most important modifiable risk factors for stroke. Persistently elevated blood pressure can damage blood vessels and increase the risk of both ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke. It also contributes to heart disease and kidney damage.
