Blood Pressure Checks Save Lives
- Check your blood pressure – it could prevent you (and 45,000 others) from having an unnecessary stroke or heart problems and save the NHS £850million
- Blood pressure hot spots: Wyre Forest, Leeds, County Durham and Birmingham. These are the hotspots for undiagnosed high blood pressure
1 in 3 people (16 million people)[1] in the UK are living with high blood pressure (the single biggest cause of death) and yet 5 million people remain undiagnosed[2].
As part of Know Your Numbers! week, Blood Pressure UK is urging the public to regularly check their blood pressure as it is estimated that by finding these people over the next 10 years, a staggering 45,000 strokes, heart attacks and heart failure could be prevented, saving the NHS more than £1Billion in NHS and social care costs[3].
New research has also revealed that people from the most deprived areas are 30%[4] more likely than the least-deprived areas to have high blood pressure, with Wyre Forest (307,010 people), Birmingham (282,200 people), Leeds (193,000 people) and County Durham (144,500 people) being among the worst regional ‘hypertension hotspots’[5] (i.e. the estimated number of people in each area with hypertension).
Of these town and cities, it is estimated that over half a million people (567,010)[6] have undiagnosed high blood pressure. Raised blood pressure is known as the ‘silent killer’ because it has no symptoms until you have a stroke, heart attack or heat failure – and if you survive it can cause severe disability, dementia and heart failure, which is progressive drowning of the lungs with excess fluid.
High blood pressure, which is entirely preventable, accounts for more than 12% of all GP consultations in England and costs the NHS over £2Billion every year. Reducing the blood pressure of the nation as a whole over 10 years could save the health service more than £1Billion alone.[7]
Key risk factors for developing high blood pressure are salt intake, obesity, lack of fruit, vegetables and exercise.
The Know Your Numbers! campaign is the UK’s biggest blood pressure testing event held at ‘Pressure Stations’ around the country from 12th – 18th September 2016. Volunteers hosting the Pressure Stations provide information and advice on simple steps to keep blood pressure under control and will measure your blood pressure accurately.
Professor Graham MacGregor, Chairman of Blood Pressure UK says: “Blood pressure is one of the most preventable and treatable conditions and yet it is still one of the leading causes of death in the UK. Those from poorer backgrounds are worse off. Having your blood pressure checked is one of the biggest steps that you can take to reduce your risk of stroke, heart attack or heart failure and yet so many millions are taking unnecessary risks with their health. The simple message is have your blood pressure checked at least once a year.”
Katharine Jenner, CEO of Blood Pressure UK says “High blood pressure has no symptoms but strokes and heart attacks – when it is too late - do. After you have had your blood pressure checked, you can make changes to reduce your risk, such as eating less salt, eating more fruit and vegetables, taking more exercise and losing weight – it’s never too late.”
Jamie Waterall, National Lead for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Public Health England, said: “Getting a blood pressure check is particularly important for people over the age of 40, when cardiovascular risk generally increases. Going to your NHS Health Check appointment when invited is just one of the ways you can know your numbers and get an idea of your heart health.
“Know Your Numbers! Week is a fantastic prevention initiative. We are happy to be supporting this by setting up blood pressure stations for staff to use in some of our PHE sites.”
For further information on Blood Pressure UK and Know Your Numbers Week, click here
To find your nearest check click here
[1] Health Survey for England 2003. Department of Health publication available at www.dh.gov.uk
[2] Public Health England: New opportunities to tackle high blood pressure in London. December 2015
[3] Public Health England: New opportunities to tackle high blood pressure in London. December 2015
[4] Public Health England: New opportunities to tackle high blood pressure in London. December 2015
[5] Public Health England: 2014/15 hypertension profiles
[6] Public Health England: New opportunities to tackle high blood pressure in London. December 2015
[7] Public Health England: New opportunities to tackle high blood pressure in London. December 2015