Road to 100 – Hypertension and Aging in Mexico

Ever wonder if the blood pressure readings you or your doctor take have an impact on how long you’ll live? If it does, is it reversible? Can high blood pressure reveal anything about your longevity? If so, is there a formula to “normalize” your blood pressure?

Walk into any pharmacy, sidle up to the blood pressure monitor, slip in your arm, press the button and what will you find the next time your bold pressure results appear? Over the 120 systolic/80 diastolic norm? You would not be alone. According to the American Heart Association (AHA) “the lifetime risk of high blood pressure from age 20 to 85 is between 69 and 86 percent.” 

Earlier this year, my colleague Eduardo Serna-Barragan, CEO and Founder of Cardiotrack, a Canadian-based medtech company with extensive expertise in blood pressure data collection, collaborated with me to write an article on the global hypertension struggle. The statistics are frightening. In fact, some countries, like Mexico, a country of 130 million inhabitants, experience population-wide impacts. The authors of the 2019 research paper ‘Hypertension as a persistent public health problem. A position paper from Alliance for a Healthy Heart, Mexico’ concluded that “Hypertension has become the biggest challenge of noncommunicable chronic diseases to public health in Mexico. Around 30% of adult Mexican population has hypertension; 75% of them have less than 54 years old (in productive age); 40% of them are unaware but only 50% of aware hypertensive population takes drugs and, 50% of them are controlled…”

What about in the Mexican workplace? The Mexican government amended the Federal Labor Law in 2012 (with many subsequent amendments) through the “Federal Regulation of Health and Safety at Work”. Intended to define and implement workplace health and safety provisions, the regulation seeks to “prevent risks, and as a consequence, guarantee employees their right to perform their activities in an environment that assures their lives and health…”. While worker productivity impacted negatively by hypertension is one of any companies’ key considerations, the legislation is directed at the health and welfare of the employee. 

Sustainable organizations must take into account human sustainability, according to Jeffrey Pfeffer, Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University and renown expert on workplace stressors which can result in hypertension, diabetes and depression. One contributor to that sustainable workplace implementation is Serna-Barragan’s group of occupational health companies under the Grupo Seara umbrella – Six companies in operation in Mexico with more than 900 employees serving more than 900,000 people through approximately 450 clients. In the last two years, the group has automated the blood pressure taking process, collecting extensive data, now including weight, height, temperature measurements under the same system.  The group’s devices are used by many companies around the world.

Recently expanding into the North American market, one group member, Cardiotrack, engaged me on their AI strategy to optimize their data capabilities to more proactively fight in the struggle against hypertension and productivity challenges in the workplace and in society in general. By focusing on preventing individuals from entering the hypertension zone, and informing those in the hypertension zone, individuals time away from work whether to stay home or visit their doctor reduces.  Companies who value their employees beyond their productivity, especially in Mexico, benefit from these insights into hypertension and into how they can then put programs in place to support their employees. 

Conclusion:

This series focuses on the Road to 100 – how you the reader can do the right things for you to live a longer healthier life. My book, “Deep Health: Using Artificial Intelligence to Live Longer and Healthier” is one such way. Benefitting from monitoring your blood pressure and taking the necessary steps can also assist on that incredible journey to 100 years young.

To Learn More:

If you would like to learn more about successfully navigating the digital health world and embedding the technology into your own health regimen, look for “Deep Health: Using Artificial Intelligence to Live Longer & Healthier”  on Amazon, check out what Cardiotrack offers  Shoppers Drug Mart or see our contact information below.

#digitalhealth #ai #artificialintelligence #healthcare #healthtechnology #fitnesstechnology

Brian Lenahan is the author of four Amazon-published books on artificial intelligence including the Bestseller “Artificial Intelligence: Foundations for Business Leaders and Consultants”. He is a former executive in a Top 10 North American bank, a University Instructor, and mentors innovative companies in the Halton and Hamilton areas. Brian’s training in AI comes from MIT and he writes extensively on artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

Email: ceo@aquitaineinnovationadvisors.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-lenahan-innovation/

Aquitaine Innovation Advisors: www.aquitaineinnovationadvisors.com

Sources:

Alcocer L, Álvarez-López H, Borrayo-Sánchez GB, Cardona-Muñoz EG, Chávez-Mendoza A, et al. Hypertension as a persistent public health problem. A position paper from Alliance for a Healthy Heart, Mexico. Ann Clin Hypertens. 2019; 3: 009-030. DOI: 10.29328/journal.ach.1001015are already are, get them in control of their measurements.

Pfeffer, Jeffrey, 2010/02/01 Building Sustainable Organizations: The Human Factor

10.2139/ssrn.1545977, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business, Research Papers

Teng A, Taylor Z, Pfeffer J, Williams LM. Using longitudinal prescription data to examine the incidence of other chronic diseases following antidepressant use. J Psychiatr Res. 2020 Jun;125:7-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.02.030. Epub 2020 Mar 6. PMID: 32171110.