World Heart Day on Sept. 29 is a perfect time to talk about the disease that concerns many of us: hypertension. Here is a statistic that might at first seem inconceivable when you read it. Yet, it could change your life.

The World Health Organization recently released a study in which it estimated the number of people globally living with hypertension is 1.28 billion. That number has doubled since the WHO measured it in 1990, and even worse, many people are not aware of having the disease.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can significantly increase the risk of heart, brain and kidney diseases. It can also be easily detected through measuring blood pressure.

This is shocking news! How could so many suffer from the pain caused by hypertension? And even worse, how could hundreds of millions of folks around the world not have any idea they’re suffering from it?

Luckily, the WHO also gives us some hope after all that concerning data.

It recommends that keeping track of your mental stress, regular diet and exercise, and strict medication adherence can reduce your hypertension. Follow these recommendations and it will reduce the risks of complications due to high blood pressure.

The first step – diagnosing hypertension – have regular checkups and have your health care provider track your blood pressure readings. The WHO also published new guidelines for pharmacological treatment.

These recommendations include what type of medications and non-pharmacological treatments to reduce hypertension. Non-pharmacological treatment includes reducing salt intake, eating more fruits and vegetables, exercise 30 minutes a day, five days a week and avoiding trans fats.

Most importantly, medication adherence can have the biggest impact on a patient. As a pharmacist, I can see how difficult it can be to access prescriptions. I do not think that we, as a society, talk about how difficult it is for people to get their medicine.

Patients, especially the older population, may experience many challenges to receive their medications. We may think it is as simple as driving to the pharmacy and picking up the prescription, but the game of life throws many wrenches into that equation — and we are often stuck dealing with the consequences.

What if the patient cannot drive? What if the pharmacy does not work with their insurance? What if the patient is too sick to go out in public? These are critical issues many with hypertension live with, and not being able to access their prescriptions is anything but relaxing.

Thus, we create a loop where people stress over their medications, which in turn makes their hypertension even worse.

There are solutions to accessing prescriptions when getting to a pharmacy is not an easy option, including companies that will deliver to a patient’s home, or supply medications directly to patients at their doctor’s office. Some pharmacies even auto refill and synchronize patient’s medications to streamline delivery.

Seeking medical input and support can improve a patient’s risk of not knowing they have hypertension and/or treating it. Pharmacists pride themselves as being ranked consistently among the most trusted and accessible professionals in health care, an often-overlooked resource to answer questions and provide direction.

Editor’s note: Neil Prezioso is chief pharmacy officer at SpotRx.