Burden of high blood pressure shifting from the rich to the poor

London

THE number of people with high blood pressure has almost doubled in 40 years to over 1.1 billion worldwide, scientists said on Wednesday, with the burden of the condition shifting from the rich to the poor.

In the largest study of its kind analysing blood pressure in every nation between 1975 and 2015, the scientists said that it has dropped sharply in wealthy countries - possibly due to healthier diets and lifestyles - but risen in poorer ones.