Dr. Ruot Garjiek Teny, A Cardiologist and the Director of Critical Care Services at Juba Teaching Hospital speaks on Eye Radio's Sundown Show. (Photo: Awan Moses/Eye Radio).

A Cardiologist is advising people above 30 years to visit health facilities and examine their blood pressure levels to avoid premature death.

According to the World Health Organization, Hypertension or elevated blood pressure, is a serious medical condition that significantly increases the risks of heart, brain, kidney, and other diseases.

Dr. Ruot Garjiek Teny, the Deputy Chair of the South Sudan Physicians Association says early detection eases access to treatment before it advances to the worst stage.

“Blood pressure or hypertension actually has no symptoms; you don’t have specific symptoms, and that is why it is called a silent killer. By the time you present yourself to the hospital, you already incurred the damage,” said Dr. Gatjiek.

He also believes that most people with high blood pressure are not aware of the problem due to no warning signs or symptoms of the condition.

He emphasized the need to measure blood pressure regularly and reduce excessive salt, tobacco and alcohol consumption to minimize risk.

“The only way to know that you have hypertension or not, is to check your blood pressure and that is why we stress that every year or at least every six months, you need to check your blood pressure.”

“If you get any chance to be in hospital, you need to check your blood pressure, and that is why you see most of the time you go to the hospital even when you are having headache, or you are having fever, your doctor will check your blood pressure because most of them it is discovered incidentally.”

He also encourages daily physical exercises of at least 30 minutes to maintain their blood level at a normal rate.

In 2021, WHO estimated that 1.28 billion adults aged 30-79 years worldwide have hypertension with most living in low and middle-income countries.

The study also said an estimated 46% of adults with hypertension are unaware that they have the condition.

It also said less than half of adults with hypertension are diagnosed and treated while approximately 1 in 5 adults with hypertension have it under control.

According to the WHO data, hypertension is a major cause of premature death worldwide.

Dr. Gatjiek, who is the Director of Critical Care Services at Juba Teaching Hospital, further encourages the public to often measure the blood level to reduce the prevalence of the disease through early treatment.

“Most of the time, you will be having the hypertension for long not being diagnosed, developing complications, you will present either with heart failure or you present with kidney failure.”