AACIO hosts multispecialty national consensus meet on hypertension management in women

New Delhi: A conference themed, “Multispecialty National Consensus on Hypertension in Women: New Frontiers” was recently held in New Delhi.

Organized by the American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin (AACIO), USA, International Society of Cardiovascular Ultrasound (ISCU), USA, World Heart Academy, and World Wellness Foundation, with academic partnership from JB Pharma, the event focused on advancing the clinical management of hypertension in women.

The main theme of the conference was “Enhance Potentials of Clinical Management of Hypertension in Women by Understanding Cardio Renal Metabolic Approach & its Management.”

Dr. H.K. Chopra, the Organizing Chairman and National President of the Consensus Meet, emphasized. “As you are all aware, India is the world capital of Hypertension, Diabetes, Heart Attack, Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, Heart Failure and CKD. The prevalence of Hypertension in India is 35-40% in young adults in urban areas and 15-20% in rural areas. It is 50 % at the age of 50, 60% at the age of 60, 70% at the age of 70, 80% at the age of 80.”

Dr. Chopra warned that “Uncontrolled Hypertension today is like a Global Tsunami” with enormous catastrophes leading to higher prevalence of hypertension inflicted morbidity and mortality in the form of premature heart attack, brain attack, abdominal attack, leg attack, eye attack and nose attack. Resistant Hypertension to a very large extent is undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, and not treated meticulously.”

He quoted data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Ministry of Health, Government of India, and World Health Organization (WHO), noting that 90% of Indians have uncontrolled hypertension. He stressed the importance of controlling blood pressure to prevent cardiovascular accidents (CVA) and reduce mortality and morbidity, especially since Southeast Asia has the highest rate of uncontrolled hypertension globally.

The conference also focused on the impact of lifestyle choices on hypertension. Dr. Chopra identified faulty lifestyles as a key factor in the prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension. and underscored the importance of shifting from illness to wellness through preventive strategies. 

Dr. Tiny Nair, Trivandrum, Kerala said that “Hypertensive disease of pregnancy (HDP) comprises high blood pressure with various life-threatening complications like eclampsia, with bad maternal and fetal outcomes that we try to prevent. He also said that women with HDP tend to develop higher risk of hypertension in later life. New data shows that such women have a much higher chance of developing heart disease (CAD, Heart Failure, Aortic and mitral valve disease) even in the absence of hypertension.”

Dr. Nair added, “Obese and diabetic women have now been detected to have a high resting sympathetic tone, along with an altered RAS system, and frequent obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Proper pharmacotherapy with a RAAS inhibitor with beta blocker and a cPAP might benefit such women enormously.”

Dr. Viveka Kumar, Delhi discussed, “Resistant Hypertension is a type of high blood pressure that is difficult to control even with multiple medications.’ He stressed the importance of lifestyle changes and medication adherence in managing this condition, highlighting the need for collaboration between healthcare providers and patients for effective treatment strategies.

Dr. Sarita Rao from Indore described hypertension as a “silent killer” with minimal symptoms until it’s too late. She advocated for early and aggressive treatment with combination therapies to manage blood pressure effectively and prevent target organ damage.

She stated, “It’s important to hit early and hit hard to control the blood pressure as 70% or more will require 2 or more drugs to control blood pressure therefore it is better to hit early and hit hard with 2 drugs single pill combination so that we target multiple mechanisms of action for more effective control of blood pressure (BP). Therefore, now the dictum is ‘Escalate to De Escalate.’”

Dr. Arpita Ray Chaudhury from Kolkata noted the rising prevalence of hypertension in India, particularly among younger adults with metabolic health issues. She emphasized the importance of awareness and control of hypertension to prevent long-term complications and recommended the use of cilnidipine, a kidney- and heart-friendly antihypertensive.

Vikas Khare, Executive Vice President, JB Pharma highlighted the importance of hypertension care in women and advocated for a gender-centric approach to improve outcomes and manage comorbidities.

The conference also provided practical tips for hypertension prevention in women, such as reducing obesity, diabetes, CKD, and cholesterol, along with lifestyle modifications like salt restriction, adequate sleep, stress management, and regular exercise.

The event concluded with the “Annual Accolades Ceremony for Women,” recognizing over 100 eminent female doctors for their contributions to advanced medical care, celebrating women empowerment in the medical field.