I. Key points of hypertension day awareness
1. Hypertension is the largest independent cause of death from stroke, heart disease and kidney disease worldwide.
2. Salt is an important risk factor for high blood pressure.
3. Reducing salt intake can lower blood pressure levels in the population.
4. If salt intake is reduced by half, stroke, heart disease and chronic kidney disease deaths could be reduced by 2.5 million people worldwide each year.
5. High salt and high blood pressure are two “silent killers”.
Second, China’s high salt diet, hypertension and cardiovascular disease deaths
1. Most of China is a high-salt diet area. According to the 2002 National Nutrition and Health Survey of the Ministry of Health, the average daily salt intake of urban and rural residents in China is 12 g, of which 12.4 g in rural areas and 10.9 g in cities: the northern areas are higher than the southern areas. High salt diet is an important risk factor for hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension tends to be higher in areas with a high salt diet.
The prevalence of hypertension in China’s population is increasing, and the prevalence of hypertension in adults was 18.8% in 2002, an increase of 31% over 1991. It is estimated that there are currently 200 million hypertensive patients nationwide, with at least 2 out of every 10 adults being hypertensive. The prevalence of adult hypertension in some northern regions is 30%, meaning that 3 out of every 10 adults are hypertensive.
Hypertension is the most important risk factor for stroke, heart disease and kidney disease, and the morbidity and mortality rate of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases remains high because of the low control rate of hypertension in our population. It is estimated that there are 2 million new strokes and 500,000 new myocardial infarctions each year. There are 7 million people suffering from stroke, more than 4 million people suffering from heart failure and 2 million people suffering from myocardial infarction. Every year, 3 million people die of cardiovascular disease, half of which are related to hypertension.
Third, China’s action to limit salt and control hypertension
1. Our government attaches importance to the prevention and treatment of hypertension.
Since 1998, China has carried out the National Hypertension Day for 11 consecutive years. 2009 National Hypertension Day has the same theme as the World Hypertension Day, which can also be called “Salt Restriction and Hypertension Control” for the convenience of the public.
At that time, all over the country will carry out mass publicity and education activities, requiring a variety of forms, concise content, easy for the public to understand and grasp. The Ministry of Health Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Center and the Chinese Hypertension Alliance jointly prepared the “salt and hypertension” publicity booklet or folded materials, free to the masses; organized hypertension prevention and treatment or health education classes; held hypertension consultation activities. Advocate a healthy lifestyle, advocate reasonable nutrition, light diet, quit smoking and limit alcohol, moderate exercise and psychological balance.
2. How much salt should a normal adult eat every day?
The World Health Organization recommends a daily salt intake of <5 g per person.
3. Disseminate the knowledge and techniques of salt limitation.
Teach the public how to reduce salt intake, avoid eating salt-containing pickled products, such as pickles, salted meat, sauces, etc.; use less salt-containing sauces and soy sauce; put as little salt as possible when stir-frying; use other moderate condiments (sour, spicy, sweet); issue and use salt spoons containing 2 to 3 g of salt; if there is no salt spoon, use an ordinary beer bottle cap for salt, fill a cap flat, which is equivalent to 5 to 6 g of salt. Try to eat less processed food with high salt content; drink less beverages with high salt content. You can use salt with high potassium content.
4. Benefits of reducing salt intake.
Reducing salt intake in normal people can prevent the occurrence of hypertension, reduce the incidence of stroke, heart disease and chronic kidney disease and death. Reducing salt intake in hypertensive patients can improve the effectiveness of hypertension treatment and reduce the incidence of stroke, heart disease and chronic kidney disease and death.
If the salt intake of our population is reduced by half, it is estimated that 500,000 fewer deaths from stroke, heart disease and chronic kidney disease could occur each year nationwide. Salt restriction is a very economical and cost-effective measure to prevent cardiovascular disease.