The Saudi Hypertension Conference 2010 opened here Monday organized by the Saudi Association for Hypertension Care and King Fahd Hospital and under the patronage of Prince Misha'l Bin Majed, Governor of Jeddah. The three-day conference, held at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), is sponsored by Okaz Organization for Press and Publication which was represented at the opening by Abdullah Al-Hosoon, Okaz Director for General Affairs. “The conference aims to increase public awareness and encourage people to take a greater interest in their lifestyle by increasing their physical activity, avoiding stress and eating healthy food,” Dr. Abdulhafeez Khoja, member of the organizing committee, said. “The latest statistics show that the number of those affected by hypertension is increasing, especially in Third World countries,” he said. Dr. Sami Badawood, Director of Jeddah Health Affairs, said, “The importance of this conference comes not only from gathering together a large number of local and international experts, but also because it will discuss one of the most common diseases in the Kingdom.” Scientific research and studies are the best ways of finding solutions for hypertension according to Badawood, and he called upon the media to cooperate with health sectors in order to make people aware of the dangers of this disease. Hypertension is a dangerous chronic disease without noticeable symptoms often called the “silent killer”. Dr. Abdul Hameed Gashgary, a consultant of internal, diabetes, and endocrine diseases in Germany, explained, “Patients usually do not discover that they are suffering from hypertension until they are brought to the emergency room with major health problems, such as kidney failure and stroke.” “People must check their blood pressure regularly, children as well as adults. A blood pressure monitor is easy to use, does not take a lot of time or money and is painless,” he added. Recent studies according to Gashgary show that patients, including the elderly, can live with hypertension if they keep their blood pressure under control in order to avoid complications. Saleh Bawazeer, from the Saudi Association for Hypertension Care, said: “The association was established to provide guidance for doctors in the Kingdom because they have come from different medical schools. Workshops are held to inform them of the correct treatment, and to send a message to people that the early discovery of hypertension is the most important step in its treatment.”
