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High blood pressure in Latin America: a call to action

Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires; Faculty of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires; Institute of Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy; and Wonca Iberoamericana-CIMF, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Luis Alcocer

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; and Cardiology Services, Hospital General de México, México DF, México, Hospitalgeneral{at}hotmail.com

Antonio Chagas

Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil

High blood pressure (BP) is an enormous global problem, and is especially challenging for low- and middle-income countries such as those of Latin America. Although developed countries have benefited from significant reductions in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease in recent decades, comparable reductions have not been achieved in Latin America. In fact, the prevalence of high BP is increasing in many Latin American countries, and the situation will worsen without definitive efforts to correct it. The growing preponderance of hypertension and chronic diseases, coupled with expected increases in population growth, present a mounting threat to Latin American economies. This report provides a comprehensive overview of the burden of high BP throughout Latin America, and presents recommendations for change. The dismal observations warrant a call to action for improved control of high BP and other cardiovascular risk factors across Latin America. Achieving these ambitious goals will require collaborative efforts by many groups, including policymakers, international organizations, healthcare providers, schools and society as a whole.

Key Words: hypertension • high blood pressure • cardiovascular health • Latin America

This version was published on August 1, 2009

Therapeutic Advances in Cardiovascular Disease, Vol. 3, No. 4, 259-285 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1753944709338084


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