New awareness initiative encourages people to look beyond blood pressure and better understand their heart health
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, May, 2026 – “Fast heart rate while resting?” That is the question at the centre of a new awareness initiative launched by Merck, a leading science and technology company, to mark World Hypertension Day. The campaign aims to encourage greater understanding of elevated resting heart rate as a potential signal within the broader cardiovascular risk conversation.
As part of the initiative, Merck has launched a new Hypertension Risk Checker designed to encourage earlier awareness and proactive heart health management.
According to the World Health Organization, 1.4 billion people (around one in three adults worldwide) live with high blood pressure, while an estimated 600 million adults remain unaware that they have the condition.
Across the Gulf region, cardiovascular disease continues to represent a growing health challenge, reinforcing the importance of awareness, early detection, and proactive heart health management.
Often referred to as the “silent killer,” hypertension can develop without noticeable symptoms1, leaving many individuals unaware they may be at risk until serious health complications arise. Elevated resting heart rate may feel like a rapid, racing, or pounding heartbeat2, even when a person is not physically active, and may serve as an important signal to seek medical advice.
Ahmed Abo Al Fadl, General Manager – UAE & Gulf, Merck said: “Hypertension continues to be one of the most significant yet underdiagnosed health challenges globally and across our region. Through greater awareness, earlier conversations, and accessible educational tools such as the Hypertension Risk Checker, we hope to encourage more people to take proactive steps towards understanding and managing their heart health.”
This year also marks four decades of Merck’s legacy in cardiovascular care, reflecting the company’s longstanding commitment to supporting patients living with cardiovascular conditions through science, innovation, and quality healthcare solutions.
For four decades, Merck’s cardiovascular portfolio has supported the treatment journey of more than 535,000 patients across the Gulf region.
World Hypertension Day is observed annually to encourage individuals to take simple but important steps toward better heart health, including checking blood pressure regularly, maintaining healthy lifestyle habits, and consulting healthcare professionals when needed.
About Merck:
Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. More than 62,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2024, Merck generated sales of € 21.2 billion in 65 countries.
Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare, and EMD Electronics in electronics.
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