Only 16% of Bangladeshis with hypertension have it under control: WHO

Only 3.6 million of the 22.8 million adults aged 30–79 years with hypertension in Bangladesh have the condition under control in 2024, according to the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) report.

The second global report on hypertension, titled "Global Report on Hypertension 2025: High Stakes – Turning Evidence Into Action," published yesterday, says that nearly 19.2 million Bangladeshi adults do not have their hypertension under control.

About 52% of adults – 11.8 million – have been diagnosed with hypertension, while the remaining 48% remain undiagnosed. Women account for 7.6 million of the diagnosed cases, compared to 4.2 million men.

WHO defines clinical hypertension in adults as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg on two different days. By contrast, high blood pressure can increase the risk of heart and kidney disease even at levels below this threshold.

Controlled hypertension is defined as receiving treatment for hypertension and having SBP <140 mmHg and DBP <90 mmHg.

Experts said that if hypertension remains uncontrolled, other non-communicable diseases will continue to rise, increasing the risk of stroke, heart attack, and other complications.

Sohel Reza Choudhury, head of the Department of Epidemiology & Research at the National Heart Foundation, told TBS, "Many people don't even know they have high blood pressure. We must encourage regular monitoring. Nationwide screening programmes can be established at very low cost."

He added, "Hospitals should ensure everyone has their blood pressure checked. Community clinics need the facilities to measure it and refer those with high readings for further care. People must be made aware and given access to all necessary services."

Sohel Reza said, "Those who are diagnosed are usually advised to make lifestyle changes – for example, eat less and maintain a healthy weight – which can help prevent blood pressure from rising. But once someone develops hypertension, they must take medication."

He added, "We must ensure medicines are available at the primary care level in both public and private sectors. Ideally, they should be provided free of cost, especially in public facilities. If patients can take their medicines regularly, blood pressure control rates will improve."

Currently, hypertension medicines are provided at Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) corners in 460 upazilas. However, a major challenge is the shortage of medicines. "Over the past year, we have faced a severe shortage, particularly since the operational plan was discontinued. Without the plan, no medicines are being purchased because there is no budget," Sohel Reza said.

The WHO report showed that among those diagnosed in Bangladesh, 39% or 9 million are receiving treatment, including 5.9 million women and 3.1 million men.

However, only 16% (3.6 million) of patients on treatment have their condition under control – 2.2 million women and 1.4 million men.

The prevalence of hypertension among Bangladeshi adults is 28% with females having more than 34% and males having 22%. This is lower than the global prevalence of 34%.

However, the control rate of Bangladesh is much lower than the WHO target of 50%.
 
4 in 5 people have uncontrolled high BP globally

The report shows that 1.4 billion people lived with hypertension in 2024, yet just over one in five have it under control either through medication or addressing modifiable health risks.

"Uncontrolled high blood pressure claims more than 10 million lives every year, despite being both preventable and treatable. Countries that integrate hypertension care into universal health coverage and primary care are making real progress, but too many low- and middle-income countries are still left behind," said Dr Kelly Henning, who leads the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Health Programme.

The report stated, as of 2024, only four countries have achieved hypertension control rates >50%: Canada, Costa Rica, Iceland and the Republic of Korea. At the same time, 99 countries have control rates <20% (fewer than 1 in 5) at the national level.