WHY IS HOME BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING VITAL IN HYPERTENSION CONTROL?
A short talk by the Philippine Heart Association, Philippine Society of Hypertension, and Pfizer Collaborate to Further Manage the Condition in the Philippines

From L-R: Dr. Alberto Atilano, President, Philippine Society of Hypertension (PSH); Jing Castañeda, News Anchor, ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs; Dr. Jorge Sison, President, Philippine Heart Association (PHA); Dr. Grace Brizuela, Medical Manager, Pfizer

One of the major health issues in Asia is hypertension. It has a high prevalence rate but poor level of awareness and control reported in many countries in the region makes the condition not known and given the proper medical attention it needs.

Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) has been validated as an accurate and reliable measure of blood pressure because of the following reasons:

1. It can help guide hypertension treatment

2. identify masked and white-coat hypertension.

Despite its benefits, there has been limited research into home blood pressure monitoring in Asia.

In observance of World Hypertension Day, the Philippine Heart Association (PHA), the Philippine Society of Hypertension (PSH), and Pfizer, have come together to fortify their commitment in raising awareness and promoting hypertension prevention, detection, and control among Filipinos, including measures that they could take in their own homes.

The value of HBPM or Home Blood Pressure Monitoring:
In a nationwide survey conducted in 2013, it was indicated that despite a high treatment rate of 75% among adult patients diagnosed with hypertension, adequate blood pressure control rate was low at 27%

Dr. Jorge A. Sison, PHA President, in a discussion held at the Edsa Shangri-La recently, validated that, “There are several factors that contribute to the current hypertension burden in Asia and the Philippines. This includes the current diet that most Filipinos eat - - restaurant and processed food, sugar drinks, etc; the relative physical inactivity, increasing rate of smoking, and increasing number of people who are beyond their ideal weight. This is only in addition to one’s inherent genetic disposition to develop hypertension.”

There is growing acknowledgment for the role of HBPM to evaluate and guide management of hypertension. Aside from being a simple tool for measuring blood pressure, HBPM is also recommended by guidelines to obtain reliable BP recordings because readings are taken in an environment that approximates one’s daily activities and exposures.

Home systolic BP (SBP) <135 mm Hg and diastolic BP (DBP) <85 mm Hg are typically considered normal.

Sison added, “HBPM is performed in the Philippines, but not routinely, and there are no published data on the use of HBPM in the country. HBPM is currently used to investigate the status of BP control in patients with known hypertension who are taking treatment but with uncontrolled BP on follow-up. Some specialists use HBPM to make a diagnosis of hypertension in conjunction with clinic BP. Potential barriers to the use of HBPM include the cost and availability of HBPM devices, with only around 25% of the population with hypertension currently having access to such devices. Another barrier is the lack of trust among patients regarding the accuracy of their digital BP devices.”

Dr. Sison’s discussion of the Pfizer-funded research reveals that the burden of hypertension is shared by neighboring countries in Asia. And through the collaborative work of experts from these 12 countries, consensus statements have been formed which includes the recommendation to use HBPM as an additional tool to diagnose hypertension. By gaining a better understanding of a patient’s blood pressure pattern, the opportunity to appropriately manage the patient is enhanced, therefore increasing the chance of achieving BP control and reduce occurrence of complications like stroke and heart attack.

Hypertension control initiatives

Dr. Alberto A. Atilano, PSH President, said, “High blood pressure is a silent killer. It is the number one contributing risk factor for global death, causing many cardiovascular complications.” He explained that people often don’t know they have high blood pressure because there are no symptoms.

In line with PSH participation in the global initiative called May Measurement Month, which is spearheaded by the International Society of Hypertension, Dr Atilano shared how the local society is reaching out to all Filipinos to encourage screening for hypertension.

Working together

Pfizer is committed to advancing collaborative efforts to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with a wide range of chronic diseases – not just hypertension – for people to live better, healthier lives.

Some of the doctors present during the talk are the following (in no particular order) : Dr. Erric Cino from PHA, Dr. Debbie Oña from PSH, Dr. Baby Leus from PHA, Dr. Dolly Banzon from PSH, Dr. Nannette Rey from PHA, Dr. Bimbo Diaz from PSH

According to Pfizer Medical Manager and internal medicine specialist Dr. Grace Brizuela, “Our efforts to positively impact patient outcomes would not be possible without our partnership with organizations like PHA and PSH. By collaborating on common objectives to advance public health and supporting programs that create solutions for communities and stakeholders, Pfizer strengthens its commitment to help improve the lives of the patients we serve.”

Below are some guidelines in using Home Blood Pressure Monitoring:

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From 27 million hectares down to as little as 7 million hectares, the Philippines is facing a rapid decline of forest cover. Most of the country’s old growth forests are in danger of deforestation. In Palawan, Sierra Madre, Samar and Leyte, and Mindanao, the forests are threatened by agricultural conversion and human settlements.

Contributing to the decline of forest covers are logging activities, poor law enforcement, and big and small scale mining projects in biodiversity-rich areas such as Palawan. Data provided by the Forest Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources states that the country is losing approximately 47,000 hectares of forest cover every year.

“The threat of deforestation has become so severe that we are losing forest cover at an alarming rate. If we do not take action, our forests may not be around for the next generation to see,” said Forest Foundation Philippines’ Executive Director, Atty. Jose Canivel.

The Best Friends of the Forest Movement

It is for this reason that the Forest Foundation Philippines has issued a call to action for students, conservationists, environmentalists, and nature lovers alike as it launches its youth-advocacy campaign, the Best Friends of the Forest Movement (BFF Movement or #BFFMovement)

“The youth are upbeat, hopeful, and they want to contribute to the greater good. We want to empower the youth and give them a platform to do good for the forests,” he added.

The movement aims to gather a community of environmentalists, travelers, social entrepreneurs and artists with the goal of inspiring and empowering the youth into action.

“Our mission is to engage and empower the next generation to take up the mantle of forest conservation and protection. All you need is one thing to be a BFF —you have to have the passion to take action and champion our forests.”

Passion Points

The BFF Movement aims to tap into passion points such as Ecotourism, Arts & Culture, Social Entrepreneurship, and Environmental Conservation. These steps targets to achieve the goal of promoting forest conservation and protection, building a community of advocates.

Activities such as nature trails, talks, workshops and fostering partnerships with other organizations will be conducted. The BFF Movement hopes to engage the youth and take them right into the heart of the action to help raise awareness. The BFF Movement hopes to inspire fellow millennials to champion the conservation and protection of our forests.

“We want our BFFs to openly share their passion, inspire, and bring awareness to pressing issues. This is all about channeling the advocacies for forest conservation and protection by engaging the passions of the youth. We hope to shape the next generation to advocate for the conservation and protection of the forests,” explains Atty. Canivel.

Meet the BFFs

New BFFs with Atty Ogie Canivel — MUNI’s Jen Horn, woodworker artist Niccolo Jose; Carlo, a conservationist, U.P. Mountaineers Ara and Seigfried at the launch of the BFF Movement. Each of these BFF serve to embody the advocacies and passion points of the movement.

“Since I was 8 years old, I’ve been climbing mountains around the Philippines and having seen the beauty of the mountains, I feel that it’s my obligation to be part of efforts to protect them,” shared Pinoy Mountaineer and new BFF, Dr. Gideon Lasco, on his advocacy and mission as one of the first BFFs of the movement.

“By being part of the Best Friends of the Forest Movement, I look forward to engaging with others who share the same passion, learning more from fellow advocates and also reaching out to the youth and to people from all walks of life,” he added.

U.P. Mountaineer, Ara Peoro, explains the importance of being part of the BFF Movement, saying “with the BFF Movement, we hope to achieve two things—to inspire more, and to do more. We hope to inspire more outdoor and travel enthusiasts to be aware and more responsible about their environmental impacts.”

Be Part of the Movement

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#weeklywordinspiration : ALONE TIME

Last week, after spending two days with my parents to be with them on my father’s 79th birthday, I spent some time alone at the beach: a morning and late afternoon stroll along the beach.
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It is good to have alone time away from the comfort of your home and even from those that you hold dear. For me, it not only made me miss them and them to miss me (I hope so LOL) but it made me realize that I miss myself too. Being busy as a wife, a mom and with work as a special ed teacher, these rare times help me get in touch with myself.
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Alone time or “Me Time” allows us listen to our thoughts, unwind, “reboot” and think things or situations through. These times may not provide immediate solutions to issues that occupy one’s mind, but it helps to be able to think clearly and without interruptions. Don’t be guilty spending time alone, just don’t take too long a time.

Q: What do you like to do on your alone time?