KUALA LUMPUR: About 4.8 million or 43 per cent of Malaysians aged 30 years and above have hypertension or high blood pressure.Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said the figure was higher by 10 per cent compared to a decade ago.
He said based on the third study under the ‘The National Health and Morbidity Survey’, which is conducted every 10 years, the increase was due to many Malaysians having an unhealthy lifestyle and not being concerned about their health.
“We urge all Malaysians to check their blood pressure frequently. It has been revealed through the survey that two-thirds of Malaysians have hypertension and are not aware of the condition,” he said.
Speaking at a news conference after officiating the Malaysian Society of Hypertension 7th Annual Scientific Meeting Conference here yesterday, he said of those having hypertension, just 26 per cent took medication to control the condition.
Dr Mohd Ismail said those with hypertension should not stop taking medication as that contributed to the rise in the percentage of people having hypertension.
“If there are those with hypertension who feel their medication has side-effects, tell your doctors and they will change to another medicine,” he said. — Bernama