Awareness of medical students at the Syrian Private University regarding hight blood pressure among young people

Abstract Background and Introduction High blood pressure is a leading cause of death in the Western world and can also lead to stroke, kidney problems, and even kidney failure. Because of its few severe symptoms and potentially fatal effects, high blood pressure is known as a silent killer. The importance of screening for and treating high blood pressure early cannot be overstated.¹ The significance of this study lies in its ability to shed light on a crucial medical issue: the level of awareness among medical students regarding the problem of high blood pressure in young people. This study aims to demonstrate their understanding of the seriousness of the situation and its potential solutions, enabling us to enjoy healthier lives with less disease.² Essential (or essential or idiopathic) hypertension is defined as high blood pressure in the absence of a known secondary cause and accounts for 95% of all cases of hypertension.³ High blood pressure is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Although high blood pressure is often discussed as a disease, it is more accurately classified as a persistent risk factor that serves as a strong indicator of poor health.⁴ The natural course of uncontrolled high blood pressure is to progress the damage to end-organs, including the heart, brain, kidneys, eyes, and arteries, with clinical consequences including myocardial infarction, stroke, vascular dementia, kidney failure, blindness, and peripheral arterial disease.⁵,⁶ Long-term, uncontrolled high blood pressure can eventually lead to damage to the arteries and kidneys, ultimately contributing to treatment-resistant hypertension. Methods A COHORT study was conducted on a group of medical students at the Syrian Private University. The sample was randomly collected from July 2024 to June 2025. Results The study included 243 participants. 49.4% of the participants were aged 23-24, with an average age of 24 years. 60.5% of the participants were female, and 51.85% of the participants were medical students. 70.4% of the participants were aware of high blood pressure in young people. Regarding knowledge of the factors affecting the disease, 54.3% of the participants were highly aware of it, and 58.4% were highly aware of prevention methods. To demonstrate the extent of the spread of knowledge about awareness and prevention, it was found that the awareness percentage constitutes 42%. Conclusion As a conclusion of our research, we find that the level of awareness of high blood pressure in young people, its causes, influencing factors, prevention methods, risks, and associated complications is good, with reliable and important research sources.