Chandigarh, March 17 -- A week-long survey by the department of dietetics at PGIMER, as part of World Kidney Day celebrations, has revealed misconceptions about hypertension among patients.

The survey, conducted from March 10-15, focused on 60 hypertensive patients, mostly senior citizens (60% male and 40% female), at special diet clinics at New OPD and Advanced Cardiac Centre.

Key findings highlighted myths, lifestyle factors and early kidney failure signs.

40.9% of patients believed high blood pressure is curable, while 17.4% used over-the-counter NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). 48.6% were irregular with hypertension medication due to disbelief in the need for treatment and another 14.3% due to forgetfulness.

31.4% s...