Prof Dr Huỳnh Văn Minh, president of the Việt Nam Society of Hypertension and president of Việt Nam National Heart Association speaks at the seventh Việt Nam Hypertension Conference held on November 23 in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The low rate of hypertension detection in the community is a major challenge to control this medical condition in Việt Nam, experts said.

Hypertension is uncontrolled in over 50 per cent of the hypertensive population in Việt Nam, especially in remote areas, said Prof Dr Huỳnh Văn Minh, president of the Việt Nam Society of Hypertension and President of the Việt Nam National Heart Association.

Many hypertensive patients are diagnosed late after serious complications such as heart failure, kidney problems, or stroke have occurred, Minh said at the seventh Việt Nam Hypertension Conference held on Sunday in HCM City.

Hypertension is often asymptomatic, leading to public complacency and infrequent blood pressure checks while community-level screening is not yet widespread, he said.

Moreover, treatment of hypertension is not optimal and patients have low compliance with treatment.

He emphasised that an increase in risk factors for high blood pressure such as obesity, diabetes, lack of physical activity, high salt intake, smoking, and alcohol consumption further complicates effective control of hypertension.

Another challenge in the control of hypertension involves limitations at grass-root health facilities, he said.

Many health facilities at the grass-root level lack standard blood pressure monitoring devices and are deficient in basic laboratory tests required to assess complications. A consistent treatment guideline across these facilities is missing, and the use of medication is not yet optimised.

Hypertension frequently coexists with chronic conditions such as chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, leading to increased risk of severe complications such as stroke, heart failure, and end-stage renal disease, he said.

The country’s chronic disease management system is not fully integrated even though electronic medical records have been implemented. This lack of complete system integration hinders seamless patient care and data exchange, he said.

“Hypertension is the most common cause of cerebrovascular, cardiovascular, and kidney diseases, and the leading risk factor for mortality. Therefore, the management of hypertension can make an important contribution to improving healthy longevity worldwide,” he said.

“In order to promote the ability to prevent hypertension, Việt Nam has strengthened international relations, and by joining the International Society of Hypertension, we have joined the HOPE Asia Network,” he said.

The HOPE Asia Network model is an excellent example of how interpretation, modification, and dissemination of international best practices at a regional level, in collaboration with local hypertension societies, can be used to benefit specific populations, he added.

A survey conducted from 2017 to 2023 on more than 67,000 Vietnamese adults showed that more than 30 per cent of them suffered from hypertension. Of these, nearly half of the hypertensive patients (49.8 per cent) were newly diagnosed during the survey period.

The conference, themed “Hypertension Management in the Era of Multipolarity and Digital Technology”, brought together leading experts in the field of cardiology and hypertension, bringing the latest updates in control and treatment of hypertension.

It was organised by the Việt Nam Society of Hypertension and Việt Nam National Heart Association in collaboration with Chợ Rẫy Hospital, University Medical Centre HCM City and University of Medicine and Pharmacy in HCM City. — VNS