ILOILO City – With over 274,000 recorded cases in 2024 and tens of thousands more in early 2025, the Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas is warning that hypertension is rapidly becoming one of the region’s most pressing and deadly health threats.
DOH Region 6’s Non-Communicable Diseases Cluster head Dr. Aimee Marie Gayomali revealed that 35,604 new hypertension cases have already been identified in the first quarter of 2025, adding to the 274,799 adult cases logged in 2024.
Hypertension is commonly known as high blood pressure. It is a medical condition in which the force of the blood against the walls of the arteries is consistently too high. Over time, this increased pressure can damage blood vessels.
“It can lead to severe complications, including stroke, and contributes significantly to the region’s high mortality and morbidity rates,” said Dr. Gayomali.
Hypertension, often referred to as the “silent killer,” is among the top five causes of death in Western Visayas and a major contributor to strokes, heart attacks, and kidney failure.
The World Health Organization considers blood pressure levels at or above 180/120 mmHg dangerously high, often manifesting symptoms like chest pain, headaches, difficulty breathing, nausea, and blurred vision — symptoms that frequently go unnoticed until life-threatening complications arise.
The causes and risk factors include unhealthy diet (especially too much salt), lack of physical activity, being overweight or obese, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, chronic stress, family history of hypertension, and old age or underlying health conditions.
Despite the rising statistics, Dr. Gayomali emphasized that the condition is largely preventable and manageable.
“We encourage adults, especially those aged 40 and above or with a family history of hypertension, to monitor their blood pressure regularly. Free blood pressure checks, consultations, and maintenance medicines are available at public health centers through the DOH Hypertension and Diabetes Club program,” she said.
Dr. Gayomali also called on residents to embrace healthier lifestyles by reducing salt and processed food consumption, staying physically active, quitting smoking, cutting alcohol intake, managing stress, and maintaining a healthy weight.
As part of its broader public health strategy, DOH-6 is expanding access to integrated non-communicable disease services through programs like the “Love for All and Healthy Hearts” campaign and the Bagong Urgent Care Ambulatory Services (BUCAS) Centers located at the Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo and Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital in Capiz. These efforts are being carried out in collaboration with local government units and private sector partners.
Dr. Gayomali stressed the importance of bringing services to vulnerable sectors, noting that “hypertension may not sound as alarming as cancer, but it quietly leads to deadly complications like stroke and heart failure.”
“That’s why we’re committed to making these services available even in the most remote barangays,” she stressed.
Dr. Gayomali urged Western Visayans: “Visit your nearest health facility to avail yourselves of free health services. Prevention and early detection are our strongest defenses against disease. In a healthy Visayas and a New Philippines, every life is important.”/PN
