Salt and High Blood Pressure - Silent Killers - The theme of World Hypertension Day on May 17, 2009

The UAE could be a ticking time bomb for strokes according to a Dubai-based specialist on World Hypertension Day (WHD), Sunday May 17, 2009. Hypertension, a condition more commonly known as persistent high blood pressure, is an increasingly common problem throughout the emirates and a major cause of strokes and heart attacks.
This year’s WHD theme for, is ‘salt and high blood pressure’ and, according to Dr Michael Grundmann of German Center from Neurology and Psychiatry (GNP) in Dubai Healthcare City, the UAE takeaway and dining out culture puts a large proportion of residents at risk of stroke and other deadly diseases.
In particular, the appetite for high salt and fat-based fast food and lack of exercise has, according to the most recent Obesity Review, accounted for 60 per cent of UAE nationals being clinically obese. And World Hypertension Day highlights that high blood pressure is the biggest single cause of death through strokes, heart attacks and kidney disease. With salt being the major factor behind increased blood pressure, it is estimated that if salt intake was halved worldwide it would save approximately 2.5 million people.
Dr Grundmann says: “It’s no secret that fast food restaurants pump salt into their products in order to increase taste levels. For instance, lobby group Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH), found one meal from a leading fast food outlet contained four times the daily limit of salt for a six-year old – twice the limit of an adult. This is a staggeringly high level of salt and, with the UAE’s relentless appetite for fast food the problem is apparent especially when risk of stroke and heart disease increases dramatically later in life among those who eat high levels of salt in childhood.”
Dr Grundmann added: “A plethora of studies have been conducted and all support the concept that salt intake is the major factor increasing population blood pressure. The evidence that links salt to blood pressure is as strong as that linking cigarette smoking to cancer and heart disease. Various organisations devote huge resources trying to raise awareness that foods in restaurants, takeaways, fast foods, street food and hawker markets can contain a lot of hidden salt.
“Any intervention that could lower blood pressure in the general population, even by small amounts, is likely to be of immense benefit in preventing both strokes and heart attacks over a period of time. Simple lifestyle changes might include reduction of salt and fast food in the diet, but there are other many other ways to reduce and keep blood pressure down. Reducing work stress, relaxation techniques and regular classes such as Yoga or Tai Chi, which are widely available throughout the UAE, have been proven to reduce stress levels, which can cause hypertension.”
Sacha Thompson, Yoga Instructor for The Sticky Mat in Dubai explained how yoga helps hypertension.
“There are many different types of yoga that can help hypertension and they vary massively in difficulty levels. Asanas yoga postures, such as bending the legs in a fixed seated position, help relax the muscles and strengthen the blood vessels.  Pranayama breathing exercises help calm the nervous system and relax the mind.  And of course the age old tradition of meditation, to train the mind to become more one pointed and still, has been proven time and again to treat high blood pressure.
“A marked improvement should come almost instantaneously, and as little as a couple of minutes every day of breathing and gentle yoga postures can maintain lower blood pressure.”
Prompted by his concerned wife, TC, a 71 year old Australian expatriate who lives in Abu Dhabi, presented at the GNP clinic in July 2008, with headaches that lasted for days and shortness of breath. Shortness of breath immediately set off alarm bells as, by this stage the blood pressure has usually reached dangerous levels, as this is often one of the last symptoms of hypertension experienced before the onset of serious illness, such as stroke or heart attack.
The patient was quickly referred to a GP who provided a sufficient medical treatment with anti-hypertensive drugs and advice on food and exercising. After around four weeks it was possible to set a normal blood pressure and the patient felt more comfortable. The headaches and shortness of breath have never reoccurred.
Dr Grundmann explained: “Now TC is a long term patient at the clinic and attends twice yearly to have check-ups and an informal consultation with one of the specialist doctors.
“Hypertension does not ache, you can´t feel it, but in the long run it is the most effective killer because it can spoil small vessels throughout the body without symptoms until it induces a stroke or heart attack. It can work very slowly and can be too late by the time symptoms present. Therefore, regular blood pressure checks are recommended for patient in their forties at least once each year.”