Free blood pressure checks

Free blood pressure checks to prevent strokes are being offered in Kaitaia and Whangārei.

The Stroke Foundation is holding its annual Big Blood Pressure Check Road Trip, when its Health Promotion team bring a mobile unit to communities.

It will be coming to Northland in June. The Big Blood Pressure Check Road Trip bus will be at Pak’nSave Kaitaia on June 22 from 10am to 4pm, and Pak’nSave Whangārei on June 23 from 11am to 3pm.

Up to one-fifth of New Zealanders have high blood pressure, which is a leading contributor to stroke. Some people can go years without knowing they’re suffering from high blood pressure as it often has no symptoms.

‘‘When we talk about strokes being avoidable, this is our primary concern,’’ says Jo Lambert, chief executive of the Stroke Foundation.

‘‘High blood pressure can be controlled, but only if people know they have it, otherwise they carry the risk of stroke with them constantly.’’

Over the last decade, the Stroke Foundation has carried out up to 20,000 free community blood pressure checks every year.

‘‘Every time we visit a community, as many as 3% of the people we test are at high risk of stroke. That’s 300 people for every 10,000 people we screen, that are in hypertensive crisis. A hypertensive crisis is when high blood pressure is so acute that someone is in critical danger of experiencing a stroke,’’ Lambert says.

High blood pressure is more common in Māori, Pacific Islanders and Asians, with these population groups experiencing more strokes. The Stroke Foundation would like to see as many people during the Road Trip as possible and is encouraging whānau to visit together.

As many as 2000 New Zealanders die from stroke every year (2018), and a stroke is experienced every hour in New Zealand.