A heart-to-heart talk on hypertension

The silent killer is making a lot of noise these days. Thousands of passengers in bus stations, airports and shipping terminals will soon look at hypertension straight in the eye – and about time at that – via four informative videos dubbed "Hypertension AudioVisual Program."

Produced by the Philippine Heart Association’s Council on Hypertension, the 13-minute videos will be distributed free of charge in leading transport companies including Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, WG&A Philippines, Lorenzo Shipping Corporation, Negros Navigation, Sulpicio Lines, Victory Liner, Philtranco, Five Star Bus Co., Auto Bus, Dominion Bus Liner, Fariñas Trans, Integrated Metro Bus Operators, and will also be shown at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The Council will also conduct free workshops and clinic within the premises of companies showing these videos, which will feature the diagnoses, causes, complications and prevention of hypertension – popularly known as high blood pressure or alta presyon.

With these informative videos, the country’s leading physicians and cardiologists are hoping that the usually indifferent Filipinos will finally sit up and take hypertension seriously.

These videos, according to PHA president Dr. Romeo Santos, are a "very important tool or weapon in our fight against cardiovascular disease, which has overtaken infectious diseases as the leading cause of death in this country."

Not everybody is aware that hypertension is one of the risk factors in the development of heart attacks and strokes. Smoking, obesity, lack of exercise and poor nutrition further aggravate the situation. In fact, according to a PHA study on hypertension conducted in 1999 and dubbed "Presyon," 22 percent (or 11 million) of Filipinos are hypertensive. This means one out of five Filipinos have high blood pressure. Nine percent (or 4.5 million) of the 11 million are not aware that they are unfortunate candidates of this disease. While 13 percent (6.5 million) are aware of their condition, 63 percent of this group are not taking any medicine. Of the 37 percent (2.4 million) who are taking medicines, only one million are taking medicines regularly, 43 percent (or a mere .45 million) of which are taking it under proper supervision. Mind-boggling figures enough to give you high blood pressure.

"Partly to blame is this couch potato generation that loves the convenient, easygoing lifestyle. We need to inform people that hypertension can be controlled and prevented if we know how, and this is what these videos are all about," says Dr. J. Antonio Bautista, chairman of the Council on Hypertension.

The videos will tell you everything you ought to know about hypertension. Viewers will be introduced to hypertension’s classic symptoms – headaches, dizziness, racing heartbeat, nosebleed, poor eye vision, and breathing difficulties. If remained untreated, hypertension could lead to heart enlargement and could also affect the kidneys, eyes and lead to blocked arteries, coma or death. Age and genetics are one of the more difficult factors to control. The risk of hypertension increases for men over 45 years old and women who are 55 years and above, especially if they have a family history of heart disease. Keep in mind that the normal blood pressure range is 120 over 80; if it’s over 140/90, however, it’s better to check with your doctor. Patients are advised to stop smoking as this clogs the veins and arteries. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables, and avoiding fried, fatty foods are encouraged. So goodbye lechon, sisig, crispy pata, and other cholesterol-laden foods; also, limit intake of salty food like daing, tuyo, and the like. Regular exercise is a must and alcohol is a no-no (OK, a glass or two of red wine is permissible as this is said to be good for the heart). To the average Filipino, following these healthy lifestyle seems like a daunting task. But hey, we must remember we only have one heart, which beats nonstop three billion times in an average lifespan. Take care of it before it’s too late – that, in a nutshell, is the main message of the videos.

The Council is working on having a Tagalog version of the videos to reach out to more people. Santos also tells us that they are targeting movie theaters, drugstores, websites and television as other venues for the showing of the videos (produced with the support of the pharmaceutical company Merck). The videos will also be used in hypertension clinics (its original purpose, in fact) in various hospitals in the metropolis.

Along with this program, the PHA is planning to do another Presyon study two to three years from now. "If we could show the video had an impact on the awareness level of the population, then we had made our point," says Santos, adding that they are also thinking of going to the barangays to reach the grassroots level, as well as print media.

The video program, says Santos, is actually an appeal to the people not to take their health for granted. After all, not everybody can shell out a heart-stopping P500,000 at the very least to treat heart disease. During these hard times when it’s a crime to get sick, prevention is a thousand times better than a cure.