REVIEW OF THE PREVALENCE AND AWARENESS REGARDING HYPERTENSION IN SAUDI ARABIA

Hypertension is a controllable factor which contributes to the burden of many common non-communicable diseases globally. This study provides a general view on hypertension prevalence and awareness among Saudis. Prevalences have ranged from (15.2%) to (54.9%) in multiple studies. The variation is mainly due to the studied age group, cutoff measures, and methods of detecting the prevalence. Awareness was investigated as well to know the other factors contributing to the high prevalence rates. Adherence was addressed as the major issue in controlling hypertension in Saudi Arabia. However, while awareness is considered to be satisfactory, more attention should be paid towards adherence to medication to achieve a better control over hypertension.