COMMENT | May 17 marks World Hypertension Day with the theme “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer.” The aim is to educate the public and increase awareness of hypertension, or high blood pressure, and its complications.

According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey in 2019, three in every 10 Malaysian adults have hypertension. This translates to a staggering 6.4 million Malaysians. It is also worrying when almost half of our fellow Malaysians are not aware that they have hypertension.

In other words, three million Malaysian adults are living their daily lives without knowing they have elevated blood pressure. It is dubbed the “silent killer” because many individuals with hypertension do not have symptoms. They do not know about their condition unless they have their blood pressure measured. This group of individuals may include us, our family members, and friends.

Blood pressure is...