High blood pressure biggest burden on healthcare system

High blood pressure biggest burden on healthcare system

By Nebal Snan

KUWAIT: High blood pressure is estimated to have the biggest burden on the Kuwaiti healthcare system compared to other chronic noncommunicable diseases, recent research has found. Based on the study, which was published in Dec 2022, people with high blood pressure were 75 percent more likely to be admitted to a hospital in Kuwait compared to those who don’t have the disease.

The study was conducted by Abdullah Al-Ibrahim, Assistant Professor of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering at Kuwait University, and aimed to determine the rates of hospitalizations linked to several noncommunicable diseases in the country. Hospital admissions are one of the costliest elements of the financial burden on healthcare systems, the paper argued, making them a good indicator of how much of an economic strain a given disease could impose.

Noncommunicable diseases kill 41 million people each year, equivalent to 74 percent of all deaths globally, according to the World Health Organization. These diseases include cancers, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension or high blood pressure, diabetes and chronic lung illnesses. Obesity and heart disease are also associated with higher rates of hospital admissions in Kuwait, the study suggests, with heart disease linked to a 500 percent increased risk. On the other