Expanding the treatment of high blood pressure across 20 countries could prevent more than 518,000 cardiovascular deaths each year, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2026. The findings, announced during the meeting in Arlington, Virginia, underscore the enormous potential of preventive care to reduce the global burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which account for roughly three out of five deaths worldwide and about 73% of those in low- or middle-income countries.
The modeling analysis assessed how increasing six evidence-based preventive services to levels seen in high-performing U.S. health systems—approximately 80% of eligible patients—would affect mortality in 20 upper- and lower-middle-income countries. Hypertension control emerged as the single most effective strategy, preventing an estimated 518,476 annual cardiovascular deaths. Treatment with statins for high cholesterol could prevent 340,682 deaths, and glucose control in people with diabetes could prevent 309,520 deaths. Increasing colon cancer screening to 80% could prevent 206,767 colon cancer deaths each year, followed by cervical and breast cancer screening. The researchers noted that current gaps in care are substantial: only about one in five adults with hypertension in the studied countries has blood pressure controlled below 140/90 mm Hg, 16% of individuals with high cholesterol use statins, 39% with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes had blood sugar below optimal levels, and just 14%–26% underwent routinely indicated cancer screenings.
"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, with low rates of hypertension control and high cholesterol management and minimal use of cancer screening tests."
The implications are significant for global health policy. High blood pressure is the most prevalent and modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and 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. The study's lead author, Daniel W. Jones, M.D., FAHA, chair of the guideline writing committee, emphasized that following evidence-based recommendations can reduce the risk of death from high blood pressure and other serious conditions. "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," Jones said. "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 using data from the Global Burden of Disease network, the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, the WHO STEPwise Approach to NCD Risk Factor Surveillance and the WHO Cancer Screening databases. Eligibility and treatment targets were based on major clinical guidelines, including the 2026 dyslipidemia guideline for statin therapy and the American Diabetes Association's guideline for glucose control. The researchers acknowledged limitations, such as limited data in some countries and the absence of specific strategies to improve access to preventive services.
The findings add urgency to ongoing efforts to improve cardiovascular health globally. The American Heart Association provides resources on High Blood Pressure and How to Manage High Blood Pressure, while its financial information is available here. As the global burden of NCDs continues to rise, the study suggests that scaling up hypertension control and other preventive services could yield substantial survival gains, particularly in lower-middle-income countries where the need is greatest.
