44% de españoles desconoce cuándo comienza la hipertensión arterial

Nearly half of Spain's population cannot name the blood pressure reading that marks the beginning of hypertension. A survey of 1,500 people conducted by the Spanish Heart Society and the Spanish Heart Foundation found that 44 percent of respondents either did not know or significantly overestimated the threshold—placing it well above the actual clinical boundary of 140/90 millimeters of mercury. This gap in understanding carries real consequences. Across Spain, roughly 10 million people live with high blood pressure. Of those, three million remain unaware they have the condition at all.

Andrés Íñiguez, president of the Spanish Heart Foundation, called the finding troubling during a press conference. People who do not understand when hypertension begins cannot monitor themselves effectively, he explained, and therefore cannot catch or control the condition before it causes damage. He framed hypertension as one of Spain's most serious health challenges—a silent threat that most people underestimate until it becomes a crisis.

The mechanics are straightforward enough. Blood pressure is simply the force exerted by blood against artery walls as the heart contracts and then relaxes. The first number—systolic pressure—measures the force during contraction. The second—diastolic—measures it during relaxation. European medical guidelines define normal pressure as anything below 120/70. Between 120 and 140 systolic, or 70 and 90 diastolic, sits a gray zone: elevated but not yet diagnosed as disease. Only when readings consistently reach or exceed 140/90 does hypertension begin.

The survey revealed other troubling patterns. Thirty-nine percent of respondents said they never or almost never check their blood pressure. Women monitor themselves even less frequently than men—31 percent of women versus 39 percent of men check at least monthly. Researchers attributed this disparity partly to the caregiver role women often assume, which pushes their own health to the margins. Most people surveyed—89 percent—understood that poor lifestyle choices increase hypertension risk, and 88 percent knew the condition raises the danger of heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease. Yet fewer than half had actually changed their habits to prevent or manage elevated pressure.

Iñiguez emphasized that the medical field has made significant advances in treating hypertension over the past two decades, but the real breakthrough would come from public awareness. He offered a concrete incentive: for every 10-millimeter drop in systolic pressure, or five millimeters in diastolic pressure, the risk of a cardiac event falls by 20 percent, the risk of hemorrhagic stroke by 30 percent, and the risk of heart failure by 40 percent. Small reductions compound into substantial protection.

Estrella Barreñada, a nurse at Madrid's Fundación Alcorcón University Hospital, explained the practical side of monitoring. The best place to measure pressure is at home, in a calm environment—a preference reflected in the survey, where 52 percent of people who check their pressure do so at home, 40 percent at health clinics, and only 7 percent at pharmacies. Timing matters. Ideally, measure in the morning after waking. Wait at least 30 minutes after exercise, empty your bladder, and avoid stimulants like coffee or tea beforehand. If the reading is high, take it three times with at least two or three minutes between measurements, then average the results. Barreñada stressed that nurses do more than record numbers; they educate patients about lifestyle changes, verify that home monitoring devices work correctly, and track whether patients actually follow their treatment plans.

To mark World Hypertension Day, the Spanish Heart Society and Foundation launched a public awareness campaign titled "There Are Dangers You Don't See Coming." The goal is straightforward: help people recognize whether they have hypertension, ensure those already diagnosed are controlling it, and prompt action before serious complications arrive. Joaquín Luis Enrich García, who suffered a stroke caused by hypertension, offered testimony. The stroke changed his life, he said, but it also gave him clarity. He quit tobacco and alcohol, eliminated ultra-processed foods, and adopted healthier habits. Using a sports metaphor, he described it as receiving a yellow card rather than a red one—a warning that allowed him to stay in the game if he changed course. For millions of Spaniards who do not yet know their blood pressure numbers, that warning has not yet arrived.