Every home needs a blood pressure monitor

SOME new findings can be so astonishing you realise that, as doctors, we should have been treating patients completely differently.

Most recently the research which inspired such an epiphany was about diabetes, which is now increasingly common, mostly attributed to the rising levels of obesity.

A study published in The Lancet in November suggests that for every 20mmHg increase in blood pressure above a healthy reading (140/90 mmHg), there is a 77 per cent increase in the risk of type 2 diabetes.

What this means is screening everybody for raised blood pressure is more important than ever, as treating it could help prevent diabetes. We already know that those with diabetes and high blood pressure are much more likely to have cardiovascular disease, putting them at risk of life-threatening events such as heart attacks and stroke.

I would like to see everybody who’s most at risk of raised blood pressure, specifically those of middle age and beyond, using their own simple blood pressure machine at home to keep a regular check on their blood pressure level.

These don’t cost much — around £20 from your local chemist.

In my view these are as essential a piece of household equipment as a washing machine, a toaster or kettle.

Owning and using one may well save your life.