DHAKA, March 31, 2022 (BSS) - Health experts has termed the excessive consumption of slat as one of the main reasons for the high blood pressure and suggested stopping excessive salt intake to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
 
"Stopping of excessive salt intake will reduce the risk of high blood pressure by 50 percent," they said at a workshop titled 'Hypertension and Heart Health' at the auditorium of Bangladesh Institution of Planners (BIP) in the city's Banglamotor area. 

Research and advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) in association with Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) organized the workshop for journalists in two phases from March 28 to 31.

Additional Secretary of the Health Services Division Syed Mojibul Huq, Line Director of Non-communicable Disease Control Programme of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Professor Dr Md Robed Amin, Head of Epidemiology Department of the National Heart Foundation Professor Dr Sohel Reza Chowdhury, National Professional Officer of the World Health Organization in Bangladesh Dr Syed Mahfuzul Haque, Associate Professor of Public Health and Informatics Department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Dr Md Khalequzzaman, GHI Bangladesh country-lead Md Ruhul Quddus and PROGGA Executive Director ABM Zubayer joined the workshop, among others.

The experts said that about 21 percent adult people are suffering from the high blood pressure while 51 percent female and 67 percent male, who are suffering from the disease, don't know it.

Noting that high blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease and cardiovascular related death many folds, they suggested creating mass awareness and making treatment available for the disease.