Do you know your numbers?

939 days ago

The 6th -12th September marks the annual Blood Pressure UKs ‘Know Your Numbers Week’. Due to social distancing measures, we won’t be able to offer blood pressure (BP) checks again this year but we still encourage you to Know Your Numbers! We're focusing on the forgotten pandemic of high blood pressure and a golden opportunity to improve blood pressure control both now and in the future.

High blood pressure is the main risk factor for stroke and a major risk factor for heart attack, heart failure and kidney disease. There is also increasing evidence that it is also a risk factor for vascular dementia. As high blood pressure rarely has any symptoms, the only way for people to know if they have the condition is to have their blood pressure measured. Around 30 per cent of women and 32 per cent of men have high blood pressure, with approximately one-third of people with high blood pressure not even knowing they have it.

So, just because you may feel ok, you could still have high blood pressure. Home blood pressure monitoring is an effective and inexpensive way to keep an eye on your BP and it really can save lives. You can find out more about how and why to monitor your blood pressure, what the numbers mean, next steps and how to pick a machine on the Blood Pressure UK website.

Lifestyle plays a big part in keeping your blood pressure down for most people. Visit the British Heart Foundation to find out more on how to keep your blood pressure down and reduce your risk of cardiovascular heart disease.

For information on other self MOT checks, check out our self-health check page on the intranet.