Hypertension among Filipino adults reached 34% in 2026, according to the PRESYON 5 study presented during the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) 56th Annual Convention and Scientific Meeting on May 27, 2026.
The PRESYON 5 Study was led by past PHA President Drs. Jorge Sison, PHA Council on Hypertension Chair Mark Denver Tiongson and Dr. Raymond Oliva, a hypertension specialist from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital. He is an associate PHA member.
A past chair of the PHA Council on Hypertension, Sison helmed PRESYON 1-4.
“We really know that if you look at prevalence studies it will double by 2040,” said Oliva said. He added that “more younger Filipinos will develop hypertension if we do not curb all these risk factors.”
While slightly lower than the 37% recorded during the pandemic in PRESYON 4, researchers said the figure remains concerning.
The study also found that nearly half of hypertensive Filipino adults remain unaware of their condition, while younger Filipinos are beginning to show signs of high blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors.
“The PRESYON 5 study, which just concluded recently, was presented for the first time during the Day 1 Hypertension session,” said Tiongson.
Oliva said that “there was really a need for local studies on hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD) because hypertension continues to be a major health problem in the country.”
CVD refers to diseases of the heart and the blood vessels like hypertension and stroke. Hypertension if unmanaged forces the heart to work harder to circulate blood, eventually thickening the heart muscle and severely damaging arteries.
He noted that CVD remains the leading cause of death in the Philippines.
The PRESYON 5 study had 2,989 respondents from 12 regions and the National Capital Region from April 15 to May 8, 2026. Researchers included respondents aged 12 years old and above.
Sison said field researchers personally visited communities and households nationwide to gather data.
2021-2022 (Pilot)
- District 1 Iloilo Province (7 LGUs)
2023-2024 (Expansion 1)
- Districts 2-5 Iloilo Province - 32 LGUs
- Antique
- Aklan
2025-2026 (Expansion 2)
- Capiz
- Guimaraz
- Iloilo City
CAGAYAN VALLEY 2025-2026 (Expansion 2)
- Isabela
- Santiago City
- Quirino
- Cagayan
- Batanes
“They really went to the hinterland. They went to the barangays. They went all the way out,” Sison said. “It’s not the people coming for free screening. It’s the field researchers going to them.”
“Thirty-four percent is still high. It never goes down anymore,” Sison said.
Among hypertensive adults, 51% were aware of their condition, while 49% were unaware. The study also found that 25.1% of adults are now classified as pre-hypertensive.
Researchers warned that pre-hypertension may already increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Among adolescents aged 12 to 18, hypertension prevalence reached 1.2%.
“So this is quite interesting but alarming,” Sison said. “We really have to look into this.”
The study also found that hypertensive Filipinos across all age groups had higher body mass index (BMI) and larger waistlines compared to non-hypertensive individuals.
“So this is really directly connected as factors — obesity and blood pressure,” Sison said.
Region 2 recorded the highest hypertension prevalence at 49%, while Region 12 had the lowest at 19.4%. Researchers also observed rising hypertension cases in rural areas.
“Urban hypertension prevalence went down. The incidence among the rural population went up,” Sison said.
The study further showed that 75.9% of hypertensive adults were receiving treatment, while the compliance rate reached 84%. However, the blood pressure control rate remained low at 48%.
“Are we doing good? Yes and no,” Sison said. “Yes, because the numbers improved. But what we want sana, bigger numbers.”
Researchers also found that many hypertensive Filipinos remain on single-drug treatment despite uncontrolled blood pressure.
“Sixty-seven percent are still on monotherapy,” Sison said.
The study showed that angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) remained the most commonly used hypertension medication in the country.
Most respondents now use digital blood pressure monitors, while 20.8% regularly monitor their blood pressure at home.
Sison said the findings may help guide future hypertension control programs in the country.
“We really need to strategize,” he said. “If we are not doing well, we have to do something better.”
