Domestic mortality due to high blood pressure went down for the first time last year after a years-long upward trend, data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare showed yesterday.
Although the mortality rate dropped to 16 percent last year from 16.5 percent in 2023, there were still about 45,000 people dying of hypertensive cardiovascular diseases every year, it showed.
Data from the Health Promotion Administration also showed that one in every four Taiwanese adults has high blood pressure.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
With the goal of reducing mortality rates of “three highs” — high levels of blood pressure, blood sugar and blood lipids — by 30 percent by 2030, the agency yesterday held an event along with medical professional groups to raise public awareness of blood pressure management via preventive checkups, daily blood pressure self-monitoring and community-based blood pressure measurement stations.
Attending organizations included the Taiwan Medical Association, the Taiwan Stroke Society, the Taiwan Nurses Association and the Taiwan Association of Occupational Health Nurses.
Agency Director-General Shen Ching-fen (沈靜芬) said the “three highs” are highly intertwined and blood pressure control lies at the core of chronic disease prevention.
Whether blood pressure is measured at home or community-based stations would help monitor changes and aid doctors’ diagnosis, she said.
Blood pressure management is the key to achieving the goal of reducing mortality due to “three highs” by one-third by 2030, she added.
To help people manage their blood pressure in daily life, the agency has lowered the age threshold for free health checks to 30 years old, with the risk evaluation of “three highs” and health counseling services incorporated from this year to help younger people monitor their health and improve living habits.
The agency also promotes the “7-2-2 principle,” which encourages people to take their blood pressure twice at an interval of one minute both in the morning and in the night every day for seven consecutive days to get a more precise average reading.
The method can also help people build a habit of monitoring blood pressure by themselves and notice abnormalities as soon as possible, the agency said.
More than 3,000 blood pressure measurement stations have been set up around the nation, 700 of which were inspected and approved by the agency for providing reliable and convenient services across 22 administrative areas, it said, adding that people can bring their records to a doctor if they have abnormal blood pressure.
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