Hypertension kills more men than women, now that’s a fact, and there are many reasons for this occurrence. In this article, we will discuss 5 of these reasons.
It is important to note, that hypertension is called a silent killer for a very good reason, it will kill you if you don’t mind it. For many people, the first time they become aware that they are hypertensive is when they are in the hospital dealing with a complication of hypertension. This means you need to consciously be on the lookout with regular screening to avoid being caught off guard.
Here are 5 Reasons why men are more likely to die from hypertension
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It’s in the genes!
In every race studied, males generally have a higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure than their female counterparts. This goes to confirm that indeed there’s something in the genetic makeup that causes males to have higher blood pressure.
The hormone testosterone is also responsible for an increase in blood pressure in its own right. As men, testosterone is the hormone that gives us our identity, literally, and so it definitely explains why our blood pressure would be higher than our counterpart females who have far less testosterone levels.
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Poor health-seeking behaviour
Men are notoriously stubborn when it comes to their health. I mean, a man’s car gets a lot more attention from their specialist than the man himself. I have seen too many wives pull their husbands into my consulting room by their ear, just to get them the health care they actually need. This means that most men who are hypertensive actually end up being diagnosed later than the average woman would. In fact, only 44% of hypertensive men have been properly diagnosed and started on medication.
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Alcohol Indulgence
Biologically, men have a higher capacity to handle alcohol than women do, this means that given the same volume of alcohol, a man’s blood alcohol level will always be lower than a woman of similar build, and boy do we utilize it fully. Men drink far more alcohol and they drink more frequently than women do.
Alcohol causes narrowing of your blood vessels which forces the heart to do more work in pumping blood. This leads to an increase in your blood pressure. This blood pressure effect can become longstanding if you continuously indulge in alcohol consumption. People who are already hypertensive are advised to cut down their alcohol intake as that can sometimes lead to a significant drop in their blood pressure.
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More likely to default on treatment
In the past, many anti-hypertensive medications were notorious for causing erectile dysfunction. Now many a man will rather trade their life for their erection, therefore you can imagine how this would distress male hypertensives. Over the years, better anti-hypertensives have been developed as well as more effective treatment options for erectile dysfunction, but unfortunately, most men would still rather die than take medication that may not even affect their performance.
As a result of this, many hypertensive men are not consistent with their medication. Only 19% of men on treatment have their blood pressure well controlled.
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More complications, more death
As a man, you are more likely to develop hypertension at a younger age, less likely to seek medical help, more likely to indulge in alcohol, and less likely to take your medication, then it is not surprising that more men develop complications as a result of poorly controlled hypertension than women do. People with complications as a result of hypertension are more likely to die as compared to persons without complications. If men have more complications, then it goes without saying that men are, sadly, more likely to die from hypertension.
As men, we must pay attention to our health. We already know hypertension to be the silent killer, therefore, waiting to feel different before getting a check-up is not a good idea. Make it a part of your routine to have your blood pressure checked at least once every three months. This small step could make all the difference.
References
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/84/10/3451/2660462
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11906-022-01183-8
Dr. Kelvin Owusu is a Wellness Consultant who, through a holistic approach, helps individuals and groups craft innovative health plans aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles.
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