How to control blood pressure

DAY 1 OF A PROBE INTO THE DANGERS OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

HIGH blood pressure has been dubbed “the silent killer” because so many Brits are in the dark about this common medical complaint.

Also known as hypertension, up to a third of adults suffer from it but many are completely unaware they have a problem.

Left untreated, it raises the risk of potentially fatal heart attacks and strokes and can also cause severe damage to the kidneys.

Here in the first of a two-part special, the Daily Star looks at the causes of high blood pressure and the simple changes which can protect against this hidden killer.

Blood pressure is a measure of the force exerted on the walls of the arteries by your blood flow.

The higher the pressure, the harder the heart has to work to pump blood, putting it under added strain. High blood pressure – or hypertension – is a reading above 140/90.

The increased pressure also damages blood vessel walls, so they’re prone to forming clots, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

“The higher your blood pressure, the harder the heart has to work to pump blood round the body,” says Professor Naveed Sattar from Glasgow University’s Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences.

“Like any muscle, if the heart gets constantly overworked, it can become enlarged – leading to heart failure.”

Heart failure occurs when the cardiac muscle, worn out by the extra workload, becomes weak and floppy instead of strong and firm.

It damages circulation and

causes breathlessness and extreme fatigue. prone Some to swelling of the limbs, people are genetically high blood pressure, while living a others still get it despite healthy lifestyle.

But fatty,, salty diets, too little exercise, stress, smoking and excess alcohol are the main contributory factors.

Salt is a major problem because too much interferes with the ability of the kidneys to filter out excess water from the body and puts blood vessels under increased pressure.

But avoding excess salt is not easy because most of what we consume is already added to processed foods.

Professor Sattar recomdopting mends ad a healthy lifestyle, adding: “That means being physically active, eating fewer salty foods, cutting down on booze and maintaining a healthy weight.”