Danger – High Blood Pressure

The Dangers of High Blood Pressure

You may have heard of the term high blood pressure and it may be more common than you think.  High blood pressure is also one of the biggest hidden health risks we are all exposed to. With currently around 5 million adults in the UK walking around with undiagnosed high blood pressure – there is a reason it is known as the silent killer!

We are going to look at blood pressure, what is classed as high blood pressure, the causes and dangers and how you can get yourself tested in order to detect any signs of high blood pressure as early on as you can!

What is blood pressure?

Before we go into high blood pressure and the dangers of it, first let’s understand what exactly blood pressure is. Put simply, it’s a way of measuring the force your heart pumps blood around your body through your veins and is measured in mmHg or millimeters of mercury. Two numbers are then recorded, the first being the systolic blood pressure and the second being the diastolic blood pressure. You may have heard the phrase 140 over 90 or 140/90, the first number is the systolic blood pressure (blood pumping away from your heart) and the second is the diastolic blood pressure (blood returning to your heart).

What is classed as high blood pressure?

Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure is thought to affect 1 in 3 adults across the UK! You are classed as having high blood pressure if your blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg or higher. Even if your blood pressure is just below this reading you could find yourself at risk of developing high blood pressure.

What are the causes of high blood pressure?

There is no specific cause of high blood pressure. There are certain things that can contribute towards and increase your risk of having high blood pressure. These things can include whether you have a relative with high blood pressure, drinking too much alcohol, a lack of sleep, being of African or Caribbean descent or if you are overweight.

As you can see some of these things can’t be helped. Lifestyle behaviours such as drinking too much alcohol and being overweight – you can take steps to modify your behaviours in order to decrease your chances of getting high blood pressure. You may also want to consider getting more sleep to help reduce your blood pressure.

If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure the doctor may find it appropriate to prescribe you certain medication to get it under control.

What are the dangers of high blood pressure?

High blood pressure can be dangerous as it can put an extra strain on your blood vessels which in turn will put this strain onto important organs such as your heart and kidneys. If you don’t take steps to control your blood pressure you could increase your chance of:-

• Heart disease
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Heart failure
• Peripheral arterial disease
• Aortic aneurysm
• Kidney disease
• Vascular dementia

Why is it a hidden risk and how can I check my blood pressure

Most of the time you’ll find there are no noticeable symptoms, which means you’ll carry on with your day to day life without any concerns. If you do have high blood pressure and you don’t get this treated the risk of having a heart attack or stroke rapidly increases. High blood pressure is responsible for more than half of all heart attack and strokes!

The only way you can know your blood pressure and whether it is of any concern is to have a blood pressure test. It’s a quick and painless test which will give the professional a reading of your blood pressure. You can then be advised if you have high blood pressure and if so an appropriate form of treatment in order to control the blood pressure will be given.

Is high blood pressure important to employers?

The risks and conditions mentioned previously are serious and likely to impact upon an individual’s ability to work. In severe cases this can result in death or may render someone totally incapable of working.

Research has shown that raised blood pressure may affect memory and cognitive function – that is ability to understand. The effects of high blood pressure makes it easy to see how this condition can impact upon the health of individual employees, the workforce and the organisation as a whole.

If you want to know more about our health checks that include having your blood pressure checked, you can visit our website www.inhousehalth.co.uk/packages . If you’d rather speak to us over the phone you can do so by ringing us on 07957 920136. We also have a range of social media channels should you want to know more or get in touch!

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