A national campaign themed "Because I Say So" to raise public awareness about hypertension as well as the treatment and control of the disease kicked off on Saturday. (Photo: China Daily)

A national campaign to raise public awareness about hypertension as well as the treatment and control of the disease kicked off on Saturday with a ceremony in Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province.

Themed "Because I Say So", the campaign was initiated by the China Hypertension League, the Shanghai Institute of Hypertension at Ruijin Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and the Beijing Hypertension Association, and supported by Servier China.

The campaign is aimed at encouraging hypertension patients to actively monitor their blood pressure, take proper medication and frequently consult with doctors about their condition.

According to the China Hypertension Prevention and Treatment Guideline (2018) published in December 2018, the awareness rate of hypertension among individuals aged 18 and above was 51.6 percent in 2015, while the treatment rate and control rate was 45.8 percent and 16.8 percent respectively.

"The three rates of hypertension in China have risen significantly since the early 1990s, demonstrating that the country's hypertension prevention and treatment have been getting results," said professor Wang Jiguang, director of the Shanghai Institute of Hypertension and a leading expert who initiated the public awareness campaign.

"Many patients tend to ignore the importance of long-term management, resulting in a relatively high disability incidence and fatality rate for hypertension. This has created a heavy burden for families and society," he said.

Doctors said that almost half of hypertension patients discontinue treatment after a year of blood pressure management. What was even more worrying was that there was a significant increase in the number of people with chronic diseases, such as hypertension, who stopped their treatment during the COVID-19 outbreak.

"Besides constantly checking blood pressure, taking medication as prescribed and maintaining steady communication with doctors are crucial," said professor Zhang Yuqing from Fuwai Hospital Affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing.

"The public awareness campaign has four themes: patient education and promotion, blood pressure measurement and free clinics, discussion on China blood pressure current situation, and hypertension patients' innovative management tools," said Zhang.

Doctors in the field of hypertension will be invited to join patient education and promotion activities. Live science shows, online consultation and follow-up visit reminders will be available on platforms supported by Ali Health. Disease education articles from medical and social media and will also be published to raise awareness.

During the national hypertension awareness month in October, free offline clinics will be set up throughout the country to provide blood pressure readings and free services for hypertension patients.

The public campaign first made its debut in 2018. Last year, 120,000 doctors and more than 4 million patients from almost 300 hospitals throughout 34 provincial-level regions participated in the initiative.