Across the UK, there’s something which so many people suffer from that can lead to all sorts of health problems, but it so rarely results in symptoms that many Brits won’t even know they have it.
This is high blood pressure, the root cause for many conditions which can seriously impact a person’s quality of life or even kill them – which is why it is nicknamed the ‘silent killer’, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Fortunately, it’s something which is relatively easy to check for as long as people are vigilant about their health, as while there are some warning signs they only appear rarely.
Who is more at risk
Loads of people, about a fourth of adults in the UK, according to the British Heart Foundation, have got high blood pressure and many of them won’t have any idea because a person usually doesn’t experience symptoms because of it.
The NHS says that high blood pressure is very common in older adults, as the older you get the more likely you are to get it, and if you have close relatives with high blood pressure that can also have an impact.
According to the NHS, a person’s ethnicity can also be part of it, as they said that Brits of Black African, Black Caribbean or South Asian ethnic backgrounds seemed to be at higher risk.
What conditions can it cause
Having high blood pressure is the cause for all sorts of health problems including serious and life-threatening conditions, such as heart attacks and strokes.
Humans need blood to live and if things aren’t all good in the blood that can cause a cascade of further health problems for people to deal with.
Heart disease, heart failure, kidney failure and vascular dementia are all on the table due to high blood pressure – so yes it is very bad.
What makes it more likely
While some factors like getting old really increase your risk of developing high blood pressure, your lifestyle and diet are also part of it.
An unhealthy diet, particularly one high in salt, can make your blood pressure worse, as can smoking, drinking too much alcohol or being overweight, the NHS says.
Being stressed for long periods of time can also increase your blood pressure, so the way you life your life matters a lot.
What are the six signs
While symptoms of high blood pressure are rare, there are some major red flags to watch out for which can indicate that your health is at risk.
In rare cases, The British Heart Foundation says that high blood pressure can result in noticeable symptoms such as:
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Chest pain
- Dizziness
- Shortness of breath
- Nosebleeds
If you keep getting headaches, blurred vision or chest pain that comes and goes you should go and talk to a doctor.
How to tell
The only way to be sure if you have high blood pressure or not is to get yourself checked out.
You’ve likely seen the test done before, it’s where a band is placed around your upper arm and inflated to measure the pressure in your blood vessels.
The test will tell you whether or not you’ve got the signs of high blood pressure, and if you do then the advice is to cut down on the alcohol, caffeine and salt as well as avoid smoking.
