Ensure you have a healthy heart
New results for blood pressure testing at a national pharmacy chain show that Britain’s blood pressure is moving towards the ‘red’ danger zone, with 70 per cent of adults showing ‘above normal’ readings.
In just a year there has been a four per cent rise in those officially in the hypertensive (high blood pressure) category, putting more people than ever at increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
The figures released today from Lloydspharmacy are based on over 100,000 tests carried out across its 1,600+ pharmacies in 2010 and 2011. The findings give real cause for concern, with fewer than one in five people having a ‘normal’ reading and just 12 per cent found to have what is considered an ‘ideal’ reading.
Consultant heart surgeon, Mr Leslie Hamilton, said: “These figures are a stark reminder that high blood pressure is a major health issue for the UK. One in three adults has high blood pressure and around a third are unaware that they have it as there are often no symptoms. But it’s not dubbed the ‘silent killer’ for nothing – as a heart surgeon I’m exposed every day to what can go wrong when you don’t take control of your blood pressure.”
Overall, 55 per cent of women and 63 per cent of men were found to have high or very high blood pressure. This is an increase for both sexes from 2010 but particularly for men, with 29 per cent more falling into these categories in 2011 (compared with five per cent more women). And while many people think high blood pressure is a condition mainly affecting older people, the findings showed some real pressure points with younger people – 44 per cent of under 35s tested last year had ‘above normal’ blood pressure, with 30 per cent in the ‘high’ to ‘very high’ range.
Mr Hamilton continues: “Many people put their heart problems down to genetics, but your blood pressure is one area that you can control with lifestyle changes and medicine. We know that the results of a one-off test are not conclusive – that’s why I’m urging people to get checked regularly and take the time to understand what their numbers actually mean.”
Motivating the general public to look after their day-to-day health remains a top priority for the Government. Community pharmacies are well placed to help people to do this – with the additional benefit of reducing the burden on busy GPs. Lloydspharmacy believes that by offering free blood pressure checks and, crucially, educating people about how they can both manage and reduce the risks themselves, a positive impact can be made on the number of people dying every year from cardiovascular disease – still the biggest killer in the UK.
Shafeeque Mohammed, heart health expert at Lloydspharmacy, which has carried out over 1.7 million blood pressure tests since 2003, said: “Controlling your blood pressure is vital to help maintain a healthy heart and that’s why we want to encourage a change in people’s attitudes towards their heart health. If everyone made getting tested a priority this would be a huge step towards preventing serious conditions such as heart attacks and strokes. We know from recent reports that monitoring blood pressure at home in between GP appointments and having readings taken on both arms can help provide a true assessment.”
Tagged in Heart Health blood pressure