High blood pressure (hypertension) could have a devastating impact on global health, experts have warned. Researchers studied data from the World Health Organization (WHO) on patterns of hypertension awareness, prevalence, treatment and control around the world. They discovered that overweight or obese women were more likely to be hypertensive than overweight men, while people from low socioeconomic backgrounds and heavy drinkers were also more at risk.

Women and wealthier people with high blood pressure were the most likely to have good control over their condition. Doireann Maddock, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: “High blood pressure poses a silent threat to global health. It’s a major risk factor for heart disease but there are usually no symptoms, so the only way to know is to have your blood pressure measured.” She advised people over 40 to get a free NHS health check.