Globally, hypertension affects one in three individuals and four out of five do not have it adequately controlled, according to the first World Health Organization (WHO) report on hypertension released on September 19. It is a grim reminder that countries have done little to keep the biggest risk factor for death and disability under check despite the easy availability of inexpensive medicines. Uncontrolled blood pressure (over 140/90) is a main risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and stroke, and the most common cause of disease and death. It is important to note that health risks associated with hypertension do not begin at over 140/90. Instead, they operate in a continuum even below what is classified as clinical hypertension, especially in people who are diabetic, are obese, and those who consume tobacco and alcohol. Hence, reports on hypertension levels in the population underestimate the cumulative risk of high blood pressure. In the WHO report that relies on 2019 data, 188 million Indians adults aged 30-79 years have hypertension. Of them, the condition has been diagnosed only in 37%, 30% are treated and a meagre 15% of people have hypertension under control. Women appear to be marginally better than men in having the condition diagnosed, treated and controlled. Based on sketchy data from parts of India, stroke incidence was found to be 108-172 per 1,00,000 people per year and the one-month case fatality rate was 18%-42%, as per a February 2022 study. In the Global Burden of Disease report, in 2019, heart attack was the leading cause of death and disability in India.

Studies have shown that excess salt consumption (over five grams a day) is responsible for 17%-30% of hypertension. While member States are required to achieve a 30% relative reduction in mean population intake of salt by 2025, India is yet to implement many components of WHO’s prescription to cut down salt intake. A study in four Indian States published in 2021 found high salt and sugar content in packaged food items. Making front-of-pack nutrition labelling mandatory, encouraging reformulation of foods to cut down salt, and raising awareness in people to reduce salt intake should be urgently undertaken. India has, however, done well in improving blood pressure control in people with hypertension through the novel India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI). Launched in 2018, the IHCI has successfully enrolled 5.8 million hypertensive patients for treatment in 27 States, as of June 2023. Importantly, 48% of patients enrolled at primary health centres and 55% at health wellness centres achieved blood pressure control as of March 2021. It is now important to greatly increase the number of hypertensive people on treatment and keep blood pressure under control.

Cases of death by suicide among Indian men have grown over one-third in the past seven years, claimed a report by The Lancet Regional Health. In 2014, 89,129 men died by suicide as against 42,521 women. The ratio rose to 2.64 times in 2021. This year, 1,18,979 males died by suicide against 45,026 females.

The situation was even more concerning among married men. In 2021, married men recorded triple the suicide death rate — deaths per one lakh people– of 24.3 compared to women where this figure was 8.4.

The study on changing patterns of suicide in India pointed out that family problems and health issues were two major factors behind the rising vulnerability of Indian men to suicide.  Low suicide among women might indicate better coping mechanisms for dealing with stress.

 “Owing to these two reasons, the male-to-female ratio of suicides has increased from 1.9 and 2.5 to 2.4 and 3.2, respectively, during 2014–2021. There was a 107.5% increase in citing family problems as a reason among men during 2014–2021, approximately two-fold of that in women,” the report said.

The findings of the study are based on data from the National Crime Records Bureau.

The suicide death rate remained the highest — 27.2 — among men between the age group of 30-44 years. The SDR spiked nearly 5 points from 22.7 in 2014 to 27.2 in 2021. Between the age group of 18-29 years, the suicide rate saw a steeper rise of 5.6 points from 20 in 2014 to 25.6 in 2021. 

Overall, the cases of suicide death among Indian men between 2014 to 2021 grew by 33.5 per cent compared to women where the change was 5.89 per cent.

Among social groups, daily wage workers were at a greater risk of death by suicide. The instances of suicide had nearly tripled between 2014 and 2021. From 13,944 in 2014, cases of death by suicide rose to 37, 751 in 2021 among men involved in daily wage work. In women, the number showed a similar alarming trend– rising from 1,791 in 2014 to 4,246 in 2021.

The report further revealed unemployed men and women both had a high SDR of 48.2 and 27.8, respectively, in 2021.

London:

A UK Opposition Labour Party member of Parliament and shadow minister for women and equalities has called for a statutory inquiry into medical research dating back to the 1960s that led to Indian-origin women being given chapatis containing radioactive isotopes to combat iron deficiency.

Taiwo Owatemi, who is the MP for Coventry in the West Midlands region of England, said in a post on X – formerly Twitter – recently that she is “deeply concerned” for the women and families impacted by the study.

Around 21 Indian-origin women identified through a general practitioner (GP) in the city were given the bread containing Iron-59, an iron isotope, as part of a research trial in 1969 into iron deficiency in the city’s South Asian population.

“My foremost concern is for the women and the families of those who were experimented on in this study,” said Owatemi.

“I will be calling for a debate on this as soon as possible after Parliament returns in September followed by a full Statutory Inquiry into how this was allowed to happen, and why the recommendation of the MRC [Medical Research Council] report to identify the women was never followed up so that they can share their stories, receive any support needed, and so that lessons are learnt,” she said.

An MRC spokesperson said an independent inquiry, commissioned following a documentary on Channel 4 in 1995, had examined questions raised.

According to a BBC report, it emerged at the time that about 21 women were involved in the experiment after seeking medical help from a city GP for minor ailments. The study was carried out due to concerns of widespread anaemia among South Asian women and researchers suspected traditional South Asian diets were to blame. Chapatis containing Iron-59, an iron isotope with a gamma-beta emitter, were delivered to participants’ homes. They would later be invited to a research facility in Oxfordshire to have their radiation levels assessed.

It was reported that the MRC said the study proved that “Asian women should take extra iron because the iron in the flour was insoluble”. The MRC said in a statement it remained committed to the highest standards, including “commitment to engagement, openness and transparency”.

“The issues were considered following the broadcast of the documentary in 1995 and an independent inquiry was established at that time to examine the questions raised,” the statement said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)