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Cardiovascular disease (CVD), is a general term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels and causes 1 in 4 deaths in England. Hypertension (high blood pressure) is the largest single risk factor for CVD and can increase your risk of serious and potentially life-threatening health conditions, such as heart attacks stroke, kidney disease and vascular dementia. However, as high blood pressure usually has no symptoms, it is estimated that 4.2 million people in England have high blood pressure without knowing it.
You might be more at risk of getting Hypertension if you:
are overweight
eat too much salt and do not eat enough fruit and vegetables
do not do enough exercise
drink too much alcohol or coffee (or other caffeine-based drinks)
smoke
have a lot of stress
are over 65 years old
have a relative with high blood pressure
are of black African or Black Caribbean descent
live in a deprived are
Making healthy lifestyle changes can sometimes help reduce your chances of getting high blood pressure and help lower your blood pressure if it's already high.
The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to get a blood pressure test, which is a free, simple, non-invasive procedure. If you're aged 40 and over, you can get a free blood pressure check at your local participating pharmacy, without needing to book in advance. Or you can book with a nurse at your GP, just give them a call today.
Click he link to find a pharmacy local to you: Find a pharmacy that offers free blood pressure checks - NHS (www.nhs.uk)