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High Blood Pressure is a Major Risk Factor in Heart Disease - Check It
Raised blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease which kills 60 people a week in Northern Ireland. NI Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS) looks at the importance of keeping your blood pressure under control.
Check It
The first step to take in controlling your blood pressure is to find out what it is. This can be done at the doctor's surgery or at the NICHS offices in Dublin Road, Belfast by appointment with the NICHS Health Promotion Nurses.
All adults should have their blood pressure checked and measured at least every 5 years. If you are over the age of 40 it shoudl be checked every year. People with high normal measurements of blood pressure should have it checked annually.
Blood pressure readings always contain two figures (you may have heard phrases like "one-forty over eighty" on television medical dramas). The top, upper figure is the systolic pressure, the bottom, lower figure is the diastolic.
Blood pressure is, as the name suggests, the pressure that the blood exerts on the interior walls of the blood vessels that contain it. It increases naturally with age, but certain lifestyle factors have an important bearing.
Lifestyle Factors
There are some things you can do to reduce the risk of high blood pressure:
- Stop smoking
- Cut your intake of salt
- Take regular physical exercise
- Ensure that you weight is correct for your age and height
- Limit your alcohol intake to 2 to 3 units per day
- Increase your consumption of fruit and vegetables
- Reduce your intake of fat, particularly saturated fat i.e animal and processed fat
Salt - Remember that many processed food contains 'hidden' salt. Always check the sodium content on the label. On average we consume nine grams of salt a day, but we need only six grams of salt a day. Try using herbs and spices for flavouring instead.
Fruit and Vegetables - You should have five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Aim for as much fresh produce as possible, but remember that beans and pulses also count towards your daily total. Pure fruit juice can also count as one portion.
Exercise - Try to take some exercise every day. At least five times a week, assuming you are in good health and have your blood pressure checked, you should take enough exercise to get you slightly out of breath (normally 20 to 30 minutes of brisk walking).
Medication - If your blood pressure cannot be controlled by diet, your doctor will prescribe drugs to lower it. If this happens it is vital to take the medications as prescribed. Don't cut the dose without the doctor's advice and certainly do not give up taking the drugs. Sadly many people do just that. Such a course of action does not help you or your doctor.
But start with having you blood pressure checked and measured. It could save you from the ordeal of heart disease.
High Blood Pressure is a Major Risk Factor in Heart Disease - Check It
