By 
MORE than 50,000 people in the three constituencies which cover the county of Tyrone are now on the register for having high blood pressure.
New figures from the Department of Health show a rise of hundreds in the past year who are currently on what’s called the Hypertension Register.
The figures have been described by the MLA who obtained them as a ‘massive and growing problem’.
In West Tyrone, the numbers have gone up sharply from 15,535 in 2020/2021, to 16,615 in 2023/2024 and now 17,122 in the past year.
It is a similar outlook in Mid Ulster, which covers Coalisland and Pomeroy, as well as parts of South Derry.
There, the numbers have risen from 13,065 five years ago to 14,362 in 2024/2025.
There has also been a large increase in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, which includes Dungannon, Galbally, Killeeshil and Ballygawley.
Here, there were just over 13,000 on the high blood pressure register in 2020/2021, but that has risen steadily during the intervening period. The figure was at 19,240 in 2023/2024 and has now gone up again to almost 20,000.
Details of the figures were revealed by Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, to West Tyrone MLA, Daniel McCrossan.
In response to the figures, Mr McCrossan said that, overall, the figures have increased from 278,000 in 2020/2021 to almost 300,000 now. He said that, in West Tyrone, there had been a ten per-cent increase over those five years.
“Here in West Tyrone, we have seen a ten per-cent increase in five years, with some 17,122 people currently affected by hypertension, or high blood pressure,” he said.
“To help tackle high blood pressure, people need to adopt a healthier diet, lose weight, take regular exercise, limit alcohol and stop smoking.”
“I know it is hard, but these figures are heading in the wrong direction and are really worrying.”
