Since 2019, the Ministry of Public Health implement the initiative heartsin collaboration with the Organization Panamericana of the Health (PAHO), to strengthen cardiovascular health at the level of primary care.
Further 60% of the Units Attention Primary (UNAP), some 703 centers nationwide, participate in this program, achieving adequate blood pressure control in percentages that vary between 70 to 81% of patients.
This is certified by the epidemiological bulletin corresponding to week 37, where Minister Víctor Atallah indicates that, to date, 227,573 patients with hypertensionthe majority in the age range of 50 to 69 years.
The hypertension arterial, identified as the main attributable risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases, a pathology that affects 1,280 million adults between 30 and 79 years of age worldwide.
According to figures from the Organization World of the Health (WHO), in 2019, approximately 17.9 million people died from cardiovascular diseases in the world. 85% of deaths were attributed to myocardial infarctions and strokes, indicating that these types of deaths represent 32% of all deaths globally.
28% of women and 43% of men are unaware that they have hypertension.
Risks increase due to unhealthy diets high in salt, fat and sugar, as well as low levels of physical activity. Additionally, tobacco use is a major risk factor, causing approximately 10% of deaths from cardiovascular diseases.
Hypertension in DR
In the Dominican Republic, data from a study carried out by the Ministry of Health in 2021 on the prevalence of overweight, hypertension and diabetes, showed that 32.3% of the population is hypertensive, while 12% suffers from diabetes mellitus, which poses a challenge in the creation of health policies aimed at reducing the negative effects of these diseases.
In our country, cardiovascular diseases caused 255.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.
Model cardiovascular risk management
The strategy heartswhich is currently being implemented in 33 countries, is planned to become the cardiovascular risk management model by 2025.
This health policy model, through scientific evidence, promotes the adoption of the best global practices in the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases and significantly strengthens the primary care.
It also establishes standardized management and treatment protocols, integrates the aspects related to the correct diagnosis of the disease. hypertensionthe evaluation of cardiovascular risk, through the use of validated equipment for accurate diagnosis and stratification of care according to the level of risk.
Looking ahead to 2024, the initiative was launched “Further health and longer life expectancy“, a collaboration between the Ministry of Public Healththe National Service Health (SNS), Promese/Cal and PAHO. This initiative seeks to guarantee access to medications to control hypertension and diabetes, which represents significant progress in the government’s commitment to improving the quality of life of the population and hearts adopted a pragmatic and comprehensive approach to the effective treatment of hypertension and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
Patients are evaluated using various tools such as the electronic blood pressure calculator. hypertensionwhich allows the health professional to quickly estimate the cardiovascular risk and to what extent it can be modified. The glomerular filtration rate is also estimated to know the state of kidney function.
Day of the Heart
On September 29, the world commemorates the Day World of the Heartan initiative promoted by the Federation World of the Heart under the motto “Act with the heart“.
This campaign aims to highlight the importance of cardiovascular well-being and the adoption of healthy habits in daily life, focusing on the prevention of risk factors such as tobacco consumption, poor diet, obesity, physical inactivity, excessive consumption of alcohol and environmental pollution, since addressing these risks is key to reducing the incidence and mortality from heart disease.
