World Heart Day: The Powerful Reason to Know Your Heart Numbers
By Merilynn Steenkamp, General Manager, Southern Africa Multi-Country Network at Roche Diagnostics
World Heart Day, observed on 29 September, is an opportunity to think beyond heart disease as something that only happens when a person becomes seriously ill. For millions of South Africans, the bigger issue may be what remains undetected long before a cardiovascular event occurs.
Almost half of South African adults between the ages of 30 and 79 are estimated to have hypertension, or high blood pressure. Hypertension is one of the major risk factors for death from heart disease and stroke. World Heart Day
According to the World Health Organization’s latest hypertension profile, approximately 12 million South Africans aged 30 to 79 were living with hypertension in 2024. Yet only 54% had been diagnosed, 48% were receiving treatment and just 25% had their hypertension under control. Among men, the control rate was only 16%.
The numbers should make World Heart Day more than another date on the health calendar.
They should make us pause and ask a simple question: Do you know your numbers?
World Heart Day and the hidden risk of hypertension
For many people, life is busy.
Whether you are raising a family, working long hours, running a business or simply trying to keep up with everyday responsibilities, your own health can easily move down the priority list.
If you feel physically well, there may appear to be little reason to stop and check.
But hypertension can be present without noticeable symptoms. A person can feel perfectly healthy while their blood pressure is quietly increasing their risk of heart disease, stroke and other complications.
Type 2 diabetes can also develop gradually, with symptoms that may be mild enough to go unnoticed for years.
This is why World Heart Day provides an important reminder that feeling well is not necessarily the same as being healthy.
Knowing your blood pressure and blood glucose matters
The International Diabetes Federation estimates that 2.3 million South African adults aged 20 to 79 were living with diabetes in 2024, with an estimated 70.3% undiagnosed.
Together, the hypertension and diabetes figures suggest that millions of people may be living with conditions that increase their cardiovascular risk without knowing it.
The good news is that some of the information needed to identify that risk can be obtained relatively early.
A blood pressure reading and a blood glucose test can provide healthcare professionals with important information about a person’s health.
Depending on the individual and their clinical circumstances, cholesterol levels, kidney function, medical history and additional diagnostic investigations can provide a broader picture.
Cardiovascular risk is rarely contained in one number. The value lies in bringing relevant information together so healthcare professionals can make informed decisions about what should happen next.
The World Health Organization’s cardiovascular disease information highlights the importance of measurable factors including raised blood pressure, blood glucose and blood lipids in assessing cardiovascular risk.
South Africa’s 90-60-50 approach
South Africa’s national approach to non-communicable diseases recognises the importance of earlier detection.
Its 90-60-50 cascade for hypertension and diabetes aims for:
- 90% of people over 18 to know whether they have raised blood pressure or blood glucose.
- 60% of people identified with these conditions to receive intervention.
- 50% of people receiving treatment to have their condition controlled.
The approach highlights an important distinction: identifying a health risk is only the beginning.
The real value comes from what happens afterwards.
A person needs access to appropriate treatment, monitoring and support. Healthcare professionals need the information required to make decisions. Health systems need referral pathways that connect diagnosis with care.
Knowing your numbers gives you a head start.
Why early detection can change the story
Recent South African research illustrates what can happen when cardiovascular problems are investigated only after a person has been referred for specialist assessment.
A study involving 2,523 patients referred for their first echocardiogram at a tertiary hospital in central South Africa found cardiac abnormalities in 74% of patients.
More than a third of patients with valvular disease already had severe disease, while 44% of those with cardiomyopathy had severely impaired ventricular function at their first check-up.
Behind every statistic is a person.
And for that person, the journey from the first indication that something may be wrong to appropriate care can involve several stages of the health system.
An initial assessment may lead to laboratory testing, further investigation or referral to another facility. Each step needs to connect with the next if earlier detection is going to translate into earlier care.
Diagnostics are part of the bigger picture
Symptoms alone cannot tell us everything about cardiovascular risk.
The WHO’s hypertension information and WHO’s diabetes information both reinforce the importance of identifying and managing risk factors and conditions that can contribute to serious health complications.
Diagnostics therefore play an important role in connecting a person’s health information with clinical decision-making.
As diagnostic technology develops, increasingly sophisticated testing can provide clinicians with additional information about disease and risk.
Digital health systems can also help bring information from different points of care together.
But the real measure of any diagnostic advance is whether people have access to testing – and whether they choose to get tested.
What South Africa can learn from other health challenges
South Africa already has considerable experience in building systems around early detection and long-term disease management.
The country’s response to HIV and tuberculosis has required investment in laboratory capacity, testing, clinical pathways, data and sustained treatment.
Cardiovascular disease is different, but the experience demonstrates the value of connecting different stages of care rather than treating a diagnostic result as the end of the process.
A test result becomes meaningful when it can lead to action.
That could mean lifestyle changes, monitoring, medication, further investigation or referral, depending on the individual’s circumstances and the advice of their healthcare professional.
World Heart Day is a reminder to act earlier
For individuals, one of the simplest steps is also one of the most important: know your numbers.
Knowing your blood pressure and blood glucose may provide an early indication that something needs attention.
For healthcare providers, laboratories, government and industry, the challenge is broader.
Improving access to testing, strengthening referral pathways and making better use of diagnostic information can help ensure that identifying a risk is followed by appropriate action.
With millions of South Africans estimated to be living with undiagnosed hypertension or diabetes, prevention needs to begin long before someone arrives at a hospital with serious heart disease.
This World Heart Day, the numbers give us good reason to pause and think about our hearts.
Finding risk earlier gives people and their healthcare professionals something invaluable: more time and better information with which to decide what comes next.
Have a heart. Let’s add this one to the calendar.
Happy World Heart Day.
References
- World Health Organization. Global report on hypertension 2025: High stakes – turning evidence into action. Hypertension country profiles, 2025.
WHO South Africa hypertension profile - Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa. Blood Pressure.
Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa: Blood Pressure - International Diabetes Federation. Diabetes Atlas: South Africa.
IDF Diabetes Atlas: South Africa - World Health Organization. Cardiovascular diseases.
WHO: Cardiovascular diseases - World Health Organization. Hypertension and Diabetes.
WHO: Hypertension
WHO: Diabetes
