No. of hypertension patients has increased since start of COVID-19 pandemic

코로나19 이후 고혈압 증가 20∼30대도 안심 못 해

The number of patients diagnosed with high blood pressure, or hypertension, has increased since the start of the pandemic.
Health experts say even young people in their 20s or 30s should be cautious.
Jeong Eun-joo zooms in on this phenomenon.

This 40-year-old man has been diagnosed with high blood pressure, or hypertension, during a medical check-up two years ago.

As he wasn't overweight, he hadn't been worried about his blood pressure, a major cause of hypertension.


“When I visited the clinic and measured my blood pressure, it was around 150. I immediately started taking medicine because it was too high to control through only diet or exercise.”

The number of hypertension patients has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The proportion of adults aged 30 or over diagnosed with hypertension rose from 19-point-4 percent in 2019 to 20 percent last year.

Only about 20 percent of hypertension patients in their 20s and 30s, respectively, recognized that they had high blood pressure.
That’s a significantly lower figure compared to the awareness rate of all adult hypertension patients, which is 70 percent.

It has been found that hypertension patients in their 20s and 30s do not receive proper care in a timely manner, and only 11 percent are treated with anti-hypertensive drugs.

The risk of cardiovascular disease increases by 1-point-6 times if hypertension patients don't take medication while controlling their diet.


“Even if you're young, if you've suddenly gained weight, get headaches, feel general weakness, blush easily, or feel changes in your body, it's advised to get a blood pressure test. Young people also eat out more frequently, so should be cautious of increased sodium intake.”

Experts advise consuming only five grams of salt per day.
Since most foods contain two grams of salt, consuming one gram of salt per meal is an easy way to calculate sodium intake.


“Whether it’s salt or soy sauce, think of it as one gram of salt for one side dish. Try to then eat two or three other side dishes without seasoning. Alternate eating between the unseasoned dishes and seasoned dishes ”

Exercising regularly is also necessary to prevent obesity, which increases the risk of high blood pressure.

Experts recommend 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity at least five times a week.

Jeong Eun-joo, Arirang News.


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