In the UK, about 16 million people - that''s more than one in four - have high blood
pressure, or
hypertension. Since they
don''t usually have any
symptoms, many say they''re not worried about it. But they should be.
What is blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the force exerted by blood on the walls of the arteries when the heart beats. When measured, two readings are recorded.
The first is called the systolic pressure and represents the force of the blood as the heart contracts (beats) to pump it around the body.
The second, called the diastolic, is the pressure while the heart is filling with blood again in preparation for the next contraction or heart beat.
For most people a blood pressure reading less than 140/85mmHg is desirable. For those already at high risk of cardiovascular disease (for example people with diabetes) the normal limit is a little lower, at 130/80 mmHg.
Blood pressure changes throughout the day. In particular, it increases during exercise and decreases during sleep.
What are the symptoms?
Helping yourself Have your blood pressure checked regularly every few years
Reduce your salt intake
Don''t smoke
Eat low-fat foods
Keep to your ideal weight
Drink safe amounts of alcohol
Take regular exercise
Reduce your stress
Although high blood pressure can cause headaches, dizziness and problems with vision, the majority of people suffer no symptoms at all.
However, it can lead to heart attack, stroke and kidney damage, which is why it''s important for people to have it checked every couple of years so it can be diagnosed and treated.
In 90 per cent of cases there''s no specific cause of high blood pressure, but it can run in families. In around 10 per cent of cases, kidney disease, endocrine disease (for example, underactive thyroid) and drugs (such as the contraceptive pill) are found to be responsible.
Safe levels
If your blood pressure is normal then it needs to stay that way. If it''s high, it needs to be brought down to a normal level. There''s no cure as such for
hypertension, but following a healthy lifestyle can be enough to bring blood pressure down to a normal level.
Medication is used if lifestyle changes alone fail to lower blood pressure sufficiently. Those used are safe and have few side effects.