Society

Hypertension hits 200 million Chinese

By Shan Juan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-10-24 12:43

More than 200 million people suffer high blood pressure in the Chinese mainland and it has become the leading preventable cause of death in China, causing 2.3 million deaths a year, experts said citing latest epidemiology study results at an awareness raising event on October 8, the National Hypertension Day.

The event held by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association and the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer in Beijing aims to improve the management of the disease at grassroots levels and promote proper and scientific use of hypertension drugs among the medical workers and patients.

High dietary sodium is blamed as a major factor for the high prevalence of hypertension, said experts.