Latin America must cut blood pressure to thrive Research published in Therapeutic Advances in Cardiovascular Disease  

Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC (June 26, 2009) – Combating high blood pressure is a global challenge. But while developed countries have enjoyed reductions in cardiovascular disease over recent decades, Latin America has been less fortunate. In fact new research published in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Cardiovascular Disease shows that high blood pressure is on the increase in many Latin American countries, a situation set to worsen unless immediate action is taken.

In the article, “High blood pressure in Latin America: a call to action,” detailed evidence and specific recommendations are presented by researchers Adolfo Rubinstein from Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Luis Alcocer from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and Hospital General de México, and Antonio Chagas from University of São Paulo Medical School Heart Institute.

The overall health indicators of Latin America has been on an upward trend over the last 50 years, and as life expectancy increases, the most common health issues are shifting from acute disease to more expensive and complex chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, which makes up 11% of the global disease burden, with some 17.7 million deaths each year. Still, many Latin American countries continue to struggle with infectious and communicable disease and now the added increase of cardiovascular disease means these countries shoulder a ‘double burden’ of disease.

Experts have noted that middle- and low-income regions have a five-fold greater disease burden, but have access to less than one tenth of global treatment resources. Increasing rates of hypertension and chronic diseases, coupled with expected increases in population growth, then, present a mounting threat to Latin American economies. As a result of the research, the authors make several recommendations which, according to Alcocer, “will require collaborative efforts by many groups, including policymakers, international organizations, healthcare providers, schools, and society as a whole,” such as:

• Understand the benefits of high blood pressure detection and control
• Make high blood pressure detection and management a major health campaign
• Emphasize awareness of a healthy lifestyle and the risk factors of smoking and obesity
• Provide resources to train health care workers
• Prescribe drugs that are affordable and acceptable for Latin Americans

The authors also recommend more research, specifically studies that include Latin American patients in large, long-term, clinical-outcome and epidemiological studies to improve clinical outcomes in specific regional context. This research needs support in the form of funding, including patient-oriented acceptance and compliance issues within the Latin American context.

“High blood pressure in Latin America: a call to action” by Adolfo Rubinstein, Luis Alcocer and Antonio Chagas was published by SAGE in Therapeutic Advances in Cardiovascular Disease, and is free to access online for a limited time at: http://tak.sagepub.com/.

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