India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) project

May 17, 2022

Analysis of the data from the India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) was recently released.

What is the India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI)?

It is a five-year initiative by the Union Ministry of Health and Family welfare, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), State Governments, and the World Health Organization (WHO) to monitor and treat hypertension. It was launched in November 2017.

How many districts are covered under the India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI)?

Initially, 26 districts across 5 States (Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra) were covered. By December 2020, it was expanded to 52 districts across 10 States. The additional five states covered in the later stage are Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. By December 2021, 101 districts across 19 States had started IHCI project activities.

How many people were enrolled in the project?

Around 21 lakh patients across more than 13,800 health facilities were enrolled. Maharashtra has seen the highest enrollment of 27%.

What is Hypertension?

It is defined as having systolic blood pressure (BP) level of more than or equal to 140 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure level of more than or equal to 90 mmHg.

What is the prevalence of Hypertension in India?

21.3% of women and 24% of men aged above 15 have been diagnosed with hypertension in India.

What are India’s targets regarding hypertension?

Under the “25 by 25” goal, India aims to reduce premature mortality due to non-communicable diseases by 25% by 2025. One of the targets involves reducing the prevalence of high blood pressure (BP) by 25% by 2025.

Why managing hypertension is important?

Managing hypertension for around 2.5 crore individuals can help prevent around five lakh deaths that occur due to heart diseases in the next decade.

What are the findings of the India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI)?

Around 23% out of 2.1 million Indians have uncontrolled blood pressure (BP).
In India, there were around 20 crore adults with hypertension.
To achieve the target of a 25% reduction in the prevalence of high blood pressure (BP), around 4.5 crore more people need to get their blood pressure under control by 2025.

Which states have a high prevalence of Hypertension?

As per the recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS), Southern States of India have a higher prevalence of hypertension than the national average. The prevalence of hypertension is the highest in Kerala, followed by Telangana state.

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