Around 30-40% of people in Ireland have high blood pressure but many don’t know it. If left untreated, high blood pressure increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, vascular disease and kidney failure. The only way of knowing there is a problem is to have your blood pressure measured.
All adults should have their blood pressure checked at least every five years. If you haven’t had yours measured, or you don’t know what your blood pressure reading is, ask your Pharmacist or GP to check it for you.
You are said to have high blood pressure (medically known as hypertension) if readings on separate occasions consistently show your blood pressure to be 140/90 mmHg or higher.
You can take effective steps to prevent high blood pressure by:
- losing weight if you need to
- exercising regularly
- eating a healthy diet
- cutting back if you drink a lot of alcohol
- stopping smoking
- cutting down on salt and caffeine