High Blood Pressure Symptoms

Why is high blood pressure harmful

To put it very plainly, the higher your blood pressure, the shorter your life expectancy. People with high blood pressure run a higher risk of having a stroke (which damages the brain) or a heart attack. If left untreated for a long time, high blood pressure can lead to kidney failure and even damage your sight. It can also make the heart abnormally large and less efficient (a condition called ‘left ventricular hypertrophy’). This can lead to heart failure,which is when the pumping action of the heart becomes less effective. If you have high blood pressure, reducing your blood pressure can lower your risk of having all of these problems. In this booklet we give information on the different ways of lowering blood pressure.

Why me ?

You’re not alone. About 3 in every 10 adults in England have high blood pressure. It’s more common in older people than in younger people. Among people in their 60s, about 6 out of 10 have high blood pressure, and among people in their 70s, 7 out of 10 people have it. But you are luckier than many because at least you know you have high blood pressure, and so you can take steps to try and reduce it. Nearly a third of people with high blood pressure are not being treated. People of African-Caribbean origin are at a higher risk of high blood pressure than the rest of the population of the UK. Also, South Asians who live in the UK need to make sure that their blood pressure is monitored and well controlled because of their increased risk of heart disease and diabetes.