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  • Review Article
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Review Article

Community control of hypertension— experiences from Finland

Abstract

The improvement in the hypertension control in Finland started in the 1970s by the activities of the North Karelia Project, a comprehensive programme for the control of cardiovascular diseases. The blood pressure level of the population has had a continuous downward trend according to the population surveys conducted every fifth year since 1972 and the rule of halves has changed to the rule of two-thirds. The serum cholesterol level has decreased among hypertensives, even though it is still higher than among normotensives; the patients with antihypertensive drug treatment smoke less than the rest of the population. However, the situation is far from optimal; BP levels are high and body mass index is continuously increasing among the patients. The need for intensifying both pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment among the hypertensives on a large scale is obvious.

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Nissinen, A., Kastarinen, M. & Tuomilehto, J. Community control of hypertension— experiences from Finland. J Hum Hypertens 18, 553–556 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1001696

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