Chinanews, Harbin, July 3 – Harbin Medical University has completed a 50-year research on hypertension, finding that heredity, metabolic disorder, abdominal obesity and bad habit should be blamed for the high incidence of hypertension in Heilongjiang.The research was kicked off in 1958 with a random survey in the province (including questionnaire, physical checks and chemical examination), followed by similar ones in 1979, 1991, 1999 and 2007, covering 299,677 local residents above 15 years old.The incidence of hypertension in Heilongjiang in 1958 was only 8.26%, but the figure has leaped to 25.69% in 2007. The disease has been spreading faster and faster since 1991, when the incidence was only 17.06%.Hypertension has become one of the major health threats to young people in Heilongjiang, as 22.92% of people aged between 35 and 45 have fallen victim to it.Interestingly, the incidence of hypertension tends to drop with the educational level of the respondents, as about 45.44% of illiterates are suffering from it, while the figure among college graduates is only 18.15%. Apparently, education also helps to cultivate a healthier lifestyle.Nowadays, hypertension has become one of the most common cardiovascular diseases. Its harm should never be overlooked, as it might lead to fatal diseases like stroke and coronary heart disease. In 2004, there were more than 160 million hypertension patients in China, about 100 million of whom were also suffering from other cardiovascular diseases.