XN000022-1978-04-05 — Page 7

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 1978

+AS BLOOD PRESSURE RISES SO DOES THE RISK OF STROKE AND CORONARY HEART DISEASES, AND AS BLOOD PRESSURE GOES UP, LIFE EXPECTANCY GOES DOWN, HE SAID.

THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT HYPERTENSION IS THE SINGLE DISEASE THAT AFFECTED MORE PEOPLE THAN ANY OTHER ILLNESS.

IN A RECENT SURVEY OF EUROPEAN AND NORTH AMERICAN ADULTS, BETWEEN 10 AND 15 PER CENT WERE FOUND TO HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, YET ONLY HALF OF THESE CASES DISCOVERED WERE KNOWN BY THEIR DOCTORS TO HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. OF THESE, ONLY ABOUT 30 PER CENT WERE UNDER REGULAR TREATMENT.

+THIS IS THE SITUATION IN COUNTRIES WITH HIGHLY DEVELOPED MEDICAL RESOURCES. PREVALENCE OF HYPERTENSION MAY BE AS HIGH IN COUNTRIES LIKE HONG KONG, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

HE URGED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO EDUCATE THEMSELVES ON WHAT HYPERTENSION IS ALL ABOUT BY ATTENDING THE WEEK-LONG · EXHIBITION.

BECAUSE THE PROBLEM OF HYPERTENSION IS WORLDWIDE, THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION HAS CHOSEN HYPERTENSION AS THE HEALTH THEME THIS YEAR WITH SLOGAN +DOWN WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.+

IN HIS MESSAGE TO WHO MEMBER COUNTRIES, THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL, DR. H. MAHLER, SAID THAT CONTROL OF THIS COMMUNITY HEALTH PROBLEM GOES BEYOND MÉDICAL SERVICES.

+ IT NEEDS THE CONTINUOUS SUPPORT OF THE PUBLIC, OFTEN SPEARHEADED BY NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS. THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY-TEACHERS, PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND THE MASS MEDIA MUST BE ENLISTED TO HELP DETECT THE LARGE NUMBER OF PERSONS AT RISK WHO ARE UNAWARE OF THEIR CONDITION, + HE SAID.

+NURSES, DOCTORS, MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY MUST ALL BE READY TO HELP THE PERSON AT RISK SEEK TREATMENT AND THEN TO ENCOURAGE HIM TO STICK TO IT. IN MANY CASES A BETTER LIFE-STYLE WITH A VIEW TO IMPROVING DIET AND INCREASING EXERCISE SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED,+ HƐ ADDED.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

THE EXHIBITION ON HYPERTENSION WILL BE OFFICIALLY OPENED BY THE DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES, DR. K.L. THONG, AT 11 A.M. ON FRIDAY (APRIL 7) AT THE OCEAN TERMINAL, KOWLOON. YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO SEND REPRESENTATIVES TO COVER THE EVENT.

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