Effective management of high blood pressure could prevent more than 518,000 annual deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) worldwide, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. The modeling analysis of health data from 20 countries found that among preventive healthcare services, increasing control of high blood pressure may save the most lives, particularly in upper- and lower-middle-income countries.
The study estimated that scaling up six evidence-based preventive services to reach approximately 80% of eligible patients—the level seen in high-performing U.S. health systems—could prevent 518,476 annual CVD deaths through hypertension control, 340,682 through statin treatment for high cholesterol, and 309,520 through glucose control in people with diabetes. Additionally, increasing colon cancer screening to 80% could prevent 206,767 colon cancer-related deaths each year. The researchers noted that improving blood pressure control prevented the greatest number of deaths, especially in upper-middle-income countries (223,282 annual deaths) and lower-middle-income countries (223,655 annual deaths).
"In this study, we analyzed existing data to assess if expanding use of NCD preventive healthcare services across 20 countries worldwide could reduce cardiovascular death. We found that expanding treatment of high blood pressure to more people prevented the most deaths, followed by more broad use of statin medications for high cholesterol and managing blood sugar in people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes," said Scott Pilla, M.D., M.H.S., an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. "While there were substantial gaps in the use of preventive healthcare services for these conditions in all countries, lower-middle-income countries had large opportunities for improvement."
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for roughly three out of five deaths globally, and approximately 73% of these deaths occur in low- or middle-income countries. CVD accounts for more of these deaths than other chronic health conditions such as diabetes, cancers, and chronic respiratory illnesses. The study's modeling estimates revealed stark gaps in care: only about one in five adults with hypertension in the 20 studied countries had blood pressure controlled (below 140/90 mm Hg), just 16% of individuals with high cholesterol use statins, 39% with diabetes had blood sugar below optimal levels, and only 14%-26% underwent routinely indicated cancer screenings.
The research underscores the importance of following evidence-based guidelines. The American Heart Association's 2025 Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults recommends a treatment goal of less than 130/80 mm Hg for adults with hypertension. "This modeling analysis offers important information on the potential global impact of high blood pressure and, importantly, the opportunity to, with treatment, reduce the number of deaths due to high blood pressure-related conditions," said Daniel W. Jones, M.D., FAHA, chair of the American Heart Association's 2025 guideline writing committee and past volunteer president of the Association. "Treatment of high blood pressure to goal leads to longer lives and also healthier lives. This study should inspire clinicians and patients to give more attention to appropriate management of high blood pressure using both lifestyle measures and medication."
The study modeled eligible populations across 20 countries with the highest numbers of deaths from noncommunicable diseases, using data from the Global Burden of Disease network, the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, and other sources. Treatment targets were based on major clinical guidelines, including the 2026 dyslipidemia guideline for statin therapy. A limitation is that some countries had limited data on preventive care use, and the study does not offer specific strategies to improve access. The findings are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
For more information on managing high blood pressure, the American Heart Association provides resources such as High Blood Pressure and How to Manage High Blood Pressure. Additional news releases include The lowdown on high blood pressure: what you need to know and Heart disease, stroke deaths down, yet still kill more in U.S. than any other cause. The abstract will be published in the Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2026 Supplement of the Hypertension journal.
