High-stress lifestyles threaten heart disease epidemic

High-stress lifestyles fuelled by alcohol and fast food that leave no time for exercise are leading to more cases of high blood pressure and threaten an epidemic of heart disease across the globe.

Known as the "silent killer" because it is symptomless but deadly, high blood pressure can damage major organs and lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and dementia.

It already affects one in four adults globally - about one billion people - and causes an estimated seven million deaths from cardiovascular disease a year. The figure is set to increase by 60 per cent over the next two decades if nothing is done, says a report by three international health experts.

Launched at the European Parliament in Brussels, the report,High Blood Pressure and Health Policy, calls for better education, improved health care and greater efforts to persuade people to change their lifestyles. The authors hope the statistics will prompt a campaign to tackle repeatedly high blood pressure, known as hypertension.

Previous studies have shown that people who suffer from chronic stress at work are more likely to develop high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. The Whitehall studies that followed 10,000 civil servants beginning in the 1980s found those who most often reported "job strain" had a higher incidence of the medical conditions.

Researchers at University College London, reported in the British Medical Journal last year that there was evidence for the "biological plausibility of the link" with stress.

Earlier results from the Whitehall studies suggested the best way of combating stress was to climb the ranks. Researchers found the lower a man's status the more likely he was to die young and that the more control a person had over their work the less stress they suffered.

Panos Kanavos, a health economist at the London School of Economics and one of the authors of the report, sponsored by the drug company Novartis, said: "For individuals, changing your lifestyle is key. Obesity, high salt intake and lack of exercise are all contributory factors and these are made worse by stress. This is not a problem confined to middle age - it starts in the twenties and thirties."

Huge gains have been made against heart disease, with a halving of deaths in the past 30 years thanks to better treatment and the fall in smoking.

But the report warns that these gains could "stagnate or reverse" without increased efforts to change lifestyle and improve treatment. Dr Kanavos said: "Just because deaths have fallen sharply does not mean they may not rise again. We have become complacent about the achievement - we should not rest on our laurels."

The biggest problem, according to the report, is the failure of those diagnosed with high blood pressure to stick to their treatment. Dr Kanavos said: "This is a major issue. Around 50 per cent of patients drop out of treatment within the first six months.