The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA) supports World Hypertension Day tomorrow and encourages all South Africans to measure their blood pressure and know their risk for heart disease and stroke, because it can happen to you! (See #MeasureYourPressure).
High blood pressure, also known a hypertension, is one of the most common risk factors for heart attacks, stroke and kidney disease in the South African population. About 25% of adults are hypertensive and at increased risk for a stroke or heart attack.
“Many strokes and heart attacks could be prevented if the undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertensive South Africans were identified and provided with the necessary life-long blood pressure-lowering medication,” says Dr Krisela Steyn, board member of the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa.
One in three South Africans 15 years and older have hypertension, with the highest rate of high blood pressure reported among people aged 50 and over for any country in the world. Almost eight out of 10 people in this age group are being diagnosed with high blood pressure, and a shocking one in 10 children are already suffering from high blood pressure.
A large portion of the population have no idea they have high blood pressure or are predisposed to it because high blood pressure displays no obvious symptoms and is therefore known as the ‘silent killer’.
The only way to have peace of mind is to get tested regularly, especially if you have raised blood pressure combined with other risk factors such as obesity, smoking, unhealthy eating and physical inactivity.
If you are found to be pre-hypertensive or hypertensive, you need to consult a medical specialist who will decide whether you need to be treated.
A simple blood pressure test can distinguish if your blood pressure is normal. A blood pressure measurement is made up of two values: systolic pressure, when the heart contracts; and diastolic pressure, when the heart relaxes between beats. Both numbers of your blood pressure reading are of equal importance.
Blood pressure should be checked every year from the age of 18 years, and more often when your blood pressure is already high.
If your blood pressure falls in the pre-hypertensive category, it provides an opportunity to improve blood pressure by making lifestyle changes before it progresses to hypertension.
The test is important for peace of mind and also to identify those who are hypertensive without knowing, and therefore vulnerable to having an unexpected heart attack or stroke.
High BP can be controlled effectively with a combination of medication, a healthy diet, exercise and regular monitoring.
“Knowing your blood pressure measurement and which category of risk you fall into is not enough.
"It is very important to act on the advice given to you by the health practitioner who conducts your assessment," says Professor Pamela Naidoo, chief executive officer of the HSFSA.
"Getting medical help immediately if you are found to be at high risk for cardiovascular disease due to elevated levels of blood pressure can save your life and prevent disability, which may arise from heart disease and/or stroke.”
Some risk factors for high blood pressure are out of our control, such as our age, gender, genetics, pregnancy and family history.
Fortunately, there are many risk factors that we can control such as physical inactivity, poor diet, smoking, harmful use of alcohol, being overweight or obese, stress and having uncontrolled diabetes.
However, high blood pressure is the leading risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease in South Africa, responsible for one in two in two strokes and two in five heart attacks.
Therefore, it’s extremely important to measure your blood pressure, which is done easily, quickly and painlessly with an inflatable cuff.
The many risks factors for high blood pressure in South Africa, combined with underdiagnosis and poor control, result in too many South Africans developing severe high blood pressure and hypertension at an earlier age.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure is responsible for 65% of kidney disease in South Africa, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease five to eight-fold.
“In South Africa most people who develop kidney failure don’t have access to life-saving dialysis treatment.
"This means improving the diagnosis and control of high blood pressure is critical,” says Gabriel Eksteen, physiologist and dietitian at the HSFSA.
This being May Measurement Month, the HSFSA is urging South Africans to know what their blood pressure is by having it measured.
Knowing your blood pressure reading and what lifestyle changes you can make to keep it down will give you the upper hand to prevent developing cardiovascular disease.
It is your challenge to measure your pressure and get as many people around you as possible to have their blood pressure checked this May Measurment Month.
Note that you should sit still for five minutes before the BP reading is taken, and at least three readings should be taken at two-minute intervals to ensure that accurate BP measurements are identified. To be healthy, your BP should be 140/95 mmHg or lower.
Blood pressure can be measured at your local clinic, doctor or pharmacy. The HSFSA is conducting free blood pressure assessments within communities this month. Please refer to the website www.heartfoundation.co.za.
The HSFSA plays a leading role in the fight against preventable heart disease and stroke, with the aim of seeing fewer people in South Africa suffer premature deaths and disabilities.
The HSFSA, established in 1980, is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation which relies on external funding to sustain the work it carries out.