Failing to diagnose and treat this condition risks creating a “powder keg” of future ill health, according to the British Heart Foundation.
Health experts have warned that around five million Brits living with an undiagnosed “silent killer” condition are at risk of heart attacks and strokes. It is estimated that millions of people in the UK currently have high blood pressure, but aren’t aware.
Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure is a condition where the force of your blood against your artery walls is consistently too high. Over time this can cause damage to the blood vessels as well as organs.
It is also a key contributing factor to many serious medical issues. However, it typically doesn’t appear with any symptoms – earning it the nickname as a “silent killer”. In an update provided by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) as many as 125,000 heart attacks and strokes could be prevented in the coming decade by finding and treating the millions of people with undiagnosed high blood pressure in the UK,.
The charity warned that failing to do so risks creating a “powder keg” of future ill health that threatens to “devastate families” and pile “unsustainable pressure” on the NHS. Around half of heart attacks and strokes are linked to high blood pressure condition, it said.
The BHF said: “Of the 16 million adults in the UK estimated to have high blood pressure, up to half are not receiving effective treatment, our latest estimates show. As many as five million are estimated to have undiagnosed high blood pressure.”
It is now calling on the UK to “reimagine how it prevents cardiovascular disease” through research and innovation. Professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the BHF, said: “Huge gains can be made by reimagining how we detect and treat common risk factors for cardiovascular disease such high blood pressure.
“But at the moment, millions of people are still living undiagnosed with these conditions, which raise the risk of serious illness such as heart attack and stroke – this is a powder keg for the nation’s future health, so making sure these people are identified and treated is critical.
“Such change is within our grasp – years of medical advances mean we have highly effective, evidence-based treatments to treat high blood pressure. This is one of the many tools we have to stop heart disease before it starts, but we must get more effective at identifying those at risk and treating them.
“Moreover, we must change the way we approach disease prevention, making it more convenient to access and by using cutting edge science and technology to more precisely identify and effectively treat people at risk, so that serious illness is avoided in the first place.”
What is considered to be high blood pressure?
The only way to be sure if your blood pressure is too high is to get it tested. You can do this either with an at-home kit or by asking your GP or pharmacist.
Blood pressure readings are given as two numbers, with the first number higher than the second (for example, 130/80). According to the NHS, if you’re under 80 years of age, you’re usually considered to have high blood pressure if your reading is either:
- 140/90 or higher when checked by a healthcare professional
- 135/85 or higher when checked at home
If you’re aged 80 or over, you’re usually considered to have high blood pressure if your reading is either:
- 150/90 or higher when checked by a healthcare professional
- 145/85 or higher when checked at home
To lower your blood pressure, the NHS recommends you:
- Have a healthy, balanced diet
- Exercise regularly – aim to do at least 150 minutes of exercise a week
- Lose weight if you’re overweight
- Do not eat too much salt – avoid salty food or adding salt to your meals
- Do not drink too much alcohol – avoid drinking more than 14 alcohol units a week on a regular basis
- Do not drink too much caffeine – drinks high in caffeine include coffee, tea and cola
- Do not smoke
If you’re concerned about your blood pressure, you should speak to your GP.