High Blood Pressure Rates Have Doubled Worldwide Since 1975

Most of the burden lies in poorer nations and not the U.S. and other wealthy countries, study finds.

The number of people worldwide with high blood pressure has nearly doubled over the past 40 years, a new study reveals.

At the same time, average blood pressure levels are at an all-time low in the United States and other developed nations, the researchers said.

"High blood pressure is the leading risk factor for stroke and heart disease, and kills around 7.5 million people worldwide every year. Most of these deaths are experienced in the developing world," said study author Majid Ezzati, a professor at Imperial College, London in England.

"Taken globally, high blood pressure is no longer a problem of the Western world or wealthy countries. It is a problem of the world's poorest countries and people," Ezzati added.

The overall number of people with high blood pressure ("hypertension") rose from 594 million in 1975 to more than 1 billion in 2015, due to factors such as a large global population and an increasing number of older adults, the study authors said.

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