Hypertension which is also known as 'high blood pressure' is a serious public health issue affecting about one billion people worldwide
(WHO, 2013). A report by the World Health
Organisation (2013) stated that about 1 in 3 adults worldwide have hypertension.
In other words, if 3 adults are sat together in a room, it is very likely that
one of them has hypertension.
Due to low rennin activity in the body, high Salt diet and
physical inactivity, Black people/Africans are more likely to have Hypertension.
In adults between age 20-30years old, 1 in 10 people have high blood pressure
and in adults above age 50years, 5 in 10 people do (Dreisbach, 2011).
You see, hypertension is a silent killer! Many who have the
hypertension do not know they have it because the symptoms are rarely
obvious. It is one of the main risk
factors for cardiovascular disease and if not treated on time, high blood
pressure/hypertension can lead to stroke, heart attack or even death (NHS
Choices, 2012).
Researchers have estimated that every year nine million
people worldwide die as a result of high blood pressure (WHO, 2013). A study by
the Global burden of Disease identified hypertension as the 4th contributor to
premature death in developed nations and the 7th cause of premature death in
developing nations (Rao et al, 2012).
Despite the fact that hypertension is one of the biggest health
challenge in the 21st century, it is preventable and also easy to treat if
detected early (Rao et al, 2012). So just in case you didn’t know, the normal
blood pressure for a healthy person is about 120/80mmHg, you should do your
best to maintain a blood pressure around this. Anything close to 139/89mmHg means the
individual is highly at risk of hypertension and the blood pressure needs to
start getting monitored and followed up some lifestyle changes.
If you are based in the UK, you can check your BP for free at your local
GP or with the NHS! I cannot really say much about the healthcare system in
other countries but no matter where you are, checking your blood pressure should
be quite cheap, stress-free and pain-free! There are also affordable and easy-to- use sphygmomanometer/blood pressure meters available for
sale at local pharmacies, you can use this to monitor your blood pressure at
home yourself.
HYPERTENSION KILLS SILENTLY! TRACK YOUR BP NUMBERS NOW & LET US KNOCK OUT HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE!!!
Stay healthy, fit and sweet,
with love,
LadyMay xx
God bless you LadyMay, this was highly educative. keep up the good work and more grease to your elbow.
ReplyDeleteAmen. I'm glad your learnt something new, thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteTanks a bunch dear...does high sugar level also cause hyperTENSION?
ReplyDeleteI'm not a doctor lol but from the little I've read, high blood sugar (diabetes) increases ones chances of getting hypertension. So we gotta watch both salt and sugar intake.
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