This indicator is currently being revised as new data is available.
In Switzerland in 2017, 17,6% of the population had high blood pressure. This percentage rose from 2002 to 2012, since when it has fallen again slightly. High blood pressure is considerably more common in the older population than it is in young people.
This indicator is part of the Monitoring System Addiction and NCD (MonAM) of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a risk factor for various diseases. Too high blood pressure increases the risk of having a stroke or brain haemorrhage, cardiac failure or a heart attack. Various factors increase the likelihood of suffering from high blood pressure: overweight, excessive consumption of salt or alcohol, lack of exercise, stress and various underlying diseases such as kidney disease. High blood pressure is diagnosed when systolic pressure of at least ≥ 140mmHG and/or diastolic pressure of ≥ 90mmHG is repeatedly measured.
The indicator measures the share of the population with high blood pressure and hence an increased risk of falling ill with non-communicable diseases. It supports planning and monitoring of preventive measures.
This indicator was calculated on the basis of data from the Swiss Health Survey (SHS).
It shows the percentage of people in Switzerland’s population aged 15 and above who indicated that they had high blood pressure and/or took medication to lower their blood pressure in the seven days prior to the interview.
It is based on the SHS's ‘HYPERTENS’ index, which concerns the two following questions (TBLUT01 and TMEKO02):
An explanation of socio-demographic variables can be found in the document: Definition of the characteristics
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