Introduction
1.1 Background to the Study
High blood pressure otherwise called hypertension is a major threat to public health. The disease has been identified as a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. It is as a result of this global burden, that the world’s premier blood pressure society known as the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) was established in 1966 to encourage and promote the advancement of scientific research and its application to the prevention and management of heart diseases, stroke, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases (CVD) around the world (www.ish.org ; 2013).
According to the Report of WHO (2002), hypertension is the most prevalent CVD affecting at least 600million people worldwide. The report refers to hypertension as an important contributor to cardiovascular diseases, which according to Mathers, et al (2000), were responsible for the deaths of 17million people each year, or approximately one − third of the global deaths annually. This rose to about 17.5million deaths in 2009 (WHO, 2009). It is projected to account for about 23.3 million deaths annually by the year 2030 (WHO, 2013).
A review of the global burden of high blood pressure by the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) indicated that approximately 54% of stroke, 47% of ischemic heart disease.
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