KARACHI: Around 19 million Pakistanis are living with hypertension without knowing it, exposing millions to a silent risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease, according to data emerging from the nationwide Discovering Hypertension Project, one of the largest screening initiatives conducted in the country. Health experts say hypertension has become one of Pakistan’s most serious but under diagnosed health problems, with more than 35 million people estimated to be suffering from high blood pressure, yet a majority remain either undiagnosed, untreated or unable to control their condition. According to public health data, around 55 to 60 percent of people with hypertension in Pakistan are unaware of their condition, largely because high blood pressure usually develops without noticeable symptoms. Even among those who are diagnosed, treatment and control rates remain worryingly low. Medical experts warn that the situation has created what they describe as a “silent epidemic”, where millions continue their daily lives unaware that elevated blood pressure is slowly damaging their heart, brain and kidneys. The Discovering Hypertension Project, a nationwide initiative supported by the local pharmaceutical company PharmEvo as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme, has attempted to identify the scale of the problem through community screening and research. As part of the initiative, doctors screened more than 116,000 individuals across 50 cities in Pakistan, involving nearly 1,500 physicians and healthcare professionals in community based blood pressure checks. The project not only helped identify thousands of individuals with elevated blood pressure but also generated valuable data to understand why blood pressure control remains so poor in the country. Speaking about the findings, the project director of the Discovering Hypertension Project said the results show that hypertension in Pakistan is vastly under diagnosed and poorly managed. “Millions of people in Pakistan are walking around with dangerously high blood pressure without knowing it. By the time many patients discover the condition, they may already have developed complications such as heart disease or stroke,” Syed Jamshed Ahmed, the project director said. Researchers working with the project conducted a detailed analysis of over 5,000 hypertensive patients to understand why blood pressure control remains difficult even among those receiving treatment. The findings show that only about one quarter of patients taking medicines were able to maintain controlled blood pressure, while control rates were similarly low among individuals attempting to manage the condition through lifestyle changes alone. Experts say the results demonstrate that medication alone cannot control hypertension without addressing broader lifestyle factors. The research identified several key drivers of uncontrolled hypertension in Pakistan. These included high salt consumption, frequent intake of junk food and sugary beverages, obesity, physical inactivity and irregular blood pressure monitoring. More than half of the participants reported that they did not engage in regular physical activity, while many patients checked their blood pressure only occasionally or when they felt unwell. According to the project director, improving awareness and encouraging regular blood pressure screening are essential to tackling the crisis. “Hypertension can be detected through a simple blood pressure check that takes less than a minute. If people start monitoring their blood pressure regularly and adopt healthier lifestyles, a large proportion of complications could be prevented,” Syed Jamshed Ahmed added. Cardiologists say the growing burden of hypertension is closely linked to urban lifestyles in Pakistan, where sedentary habits, processed foods, high salt intake and rising obesity rates are increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. They warn that unless screening, treatment and lifestyle interventions expand rapidly, hypertension will continue to drive a surge in heart disease and stroke, which are already among the leading causes of death in the country. Health experts believe large scale community screening initiatives like the Discovering Hypertension Project could play an important role in identifying undiagnosed patients and linking them to timely treatment, helping reduce the long term burden of cardiovascular diseases in Pakistan. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026