Warning over undiagnosed hypertension

Many UK adults aged between 30 and 50 could be living with undiagnosed hypertension, it is claimed today.

A consumer poll by charity Blood Pressure UK, to mark Know Your Numbers! Week, which takes place until 10 September, shows that 63% of people in that age range do not know their blood pressure readings.

62% of respondents agreed blood pressure is not only a concern for older people and 68% said knowing their blood pressure numbers is important, while 66% of those surveyed said they understood persistently high blood pressure can lead to a heart attack.

Phil Pyatt, chief executive of Blood Pressure UK, said: “Given high blood pressure does not show any clear symptoms – hence being dubbed the ‘silent killer’ – all adults, regardless of their age, need to take control of their health by checking their blood pressure regularly, either at home, at a pharmacy or at their GP. Furthermore, simple improvements in diet and lifestyle such as eating less salt, more fruit and vegetables and doing more exercise can really help keep blood pressure down.”

Unhealthy lifestyles and poor diet contribute to more people in their 30s, 40s and 50s being diagnosed with hypertension and about one in three people in the UK have high blood pressure. It believes about 6.5 million people in the UK remain undiagnosed.

Eating too much salt is a major cause of high blood pressure and that if we cut one gram of salt from our average daily salt intake, this would lead to a fall in blood pressure and about 6,000 fewer deaths from strokes and heart attacks each year in the UK.

Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of Blood Pressure UK says: “Half of all strokes and heart disease are due to high blood pressure which can easily be reduced, particularly by reducing your salt intake and if necessary, taking tablets, which rarely have no side effects. This will reduce your risk of developing a heart attack, heart failure or a stroke, which can either be fatal or cause life-changing disabilities. This is completely avoidable; it is not the time to dither and delay – it could save your life.”