May Measurement Month 2019: results of blood pressure screening from 47 countries

There continues to be an inexorable rise in the death toll due to raised blood pressure (BP) which remains the biggest single contributor to global death and the global burden of disease.1 It is estimated that in 2019 about 19% of all deaths (10.8 million) were due to raised BP, having risen from 9.4 million deaths in 2014.2 Hypertension causes over 50% of cases of heart disease, stroke, and heart failure3 and it is estimated that about 10% of global healthcare spending arises from raised BP and its complications.4 Moreover, hypertension-mediated organ damage increases risk of severe infections from COVID-19, including risk of death.5 For any of these reasons, it is critical to prevent and, failing that, identify and manage raised BP that appears to differentially affect the most vulnerable groups in society. [...]