Hypertension in Poland

The Report of the National Health Fund

Krystyna Knypl

Existing epidemiological data on the prevalence of hypertension in Poland was enriched with a report of the National Health Fund. We now have very precise information not only about the number of people suffering from hypertension, associated with diseases but also the cost of treating these diseases.

Prevalence of hypertension in Poland

According to data contained in the report of the National Health Fund is 9.9 million adults in Poland suffer from hypertension, and they represent 31.5% of the adult population. This is 4.3 million men (29.9% of the adult population of men) and 5.6 million women (33.9% of the total adult population of women).

A larger proportion of patients with hypertension lives in countries such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovenia, and Hungary. The lowest percentage has United Kingdom (21.9%) and Croatia (44.7%). The worrying situation is among children – 20.8% had systolic blood pressure above normal and 12.2% had a pressure value corresponding to the first or second degree of hypertension.

The number of adult patients with hypertension compared to 2013 is larger and has increased by 194,000. In each age group prevalence of hypertension is varied. The largest percentage of patients with hypertension was among men in the age group 65–74 and 75–84 years. As much as 74% of women and 67% of men in the first of these age ranges suffer from hypertension. Even more, because 84% of women and 76% of men aged 75–84 years have high blood pressure.

Where patients with hypertension are treated?

Hypertension is the leading cause of visits to doctors’ offices around the world. In Poland, granted in 2018 in the offices of primary health care 20.8 million of tips for hypertension and 877,000 consultations in the outpatient specialist care. In 2018, the year there were 877,000 hospitalizations due to hypertension.

Diseases associated with hypertension

Hypertension usually coexists with other diseases, such as coronary artery disease, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. What specific diseases are associated with patients with hypertension? In 17.5% of those diagnosed with lipid disorders. Diabetes occurred in 14.6%. In 12.5% ​​of hypertensive patients, chronic ischemic heart disease was diagnosed and in 8.3% of this atrial fibrillation or flutter. 7.2% diagnosed obesity, 7.1% of heart failure, of renal failure 6.5% and 5.6% of atherosclerosis.

Organ complications

Unfortunately, hypertension is a disease that extends continuously with severe organ damage, such as stroke or heart attack. The most common complication is coronary heart disease, which was diagnosed in 2013 with 1 675 000 people. The number of patients with this disease declined in 2018 to 1 279 700 people. In second place is heart failure – in 2013, 643 500 people had raised this recognition and their number decreased to 621 500 people.

In third place it is kidney failure – unfortunately, the number of patients with this complication has increased in 2013 from 190 300 to 256 800 people. In turn, the number of people who have suffered a stroke, decreased from 171 500 in 2013 to 153 200. Despite the downward trend in the number of organ damage should be assessed as high.

References

Raport NFZ: Nadciśnienie tętnicze.

http://www.nfz.gov.pl/aktualnosci/aktualnosci-centrali/raport-nfz-nadcisnienie-tetnicze,7352.html

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