Doctor And Life Saving Advice

Persistently high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can damage arteries and body organs, including the kidneys and the heart. This insidious disease is a major factor for heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. In fact, high blood pressure increases the risk of stroke six times and the risk of a heart attack threefold. Health education and screening program aid the early detection of high blood pressure and, together with improved treatments, have helped to significantly reduce the incidence of strokes and heart attacks

Persistently high blood pressure is a common problem and it is important to treat it when it occurs because it significantly increases the risk of a stroke.

There are times when everyone’s blood pressure is high. Your blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day, being lowest during sleep then rising on getting up, and reaching its higher value sometime mid­ morning. On top of your normal values are times of stress, nervousness, excitement and physical activity – all of which raise your blood pressure.

Although people’s blood pressure has a range of values that are acceptable, doctors will consider 120/80 mmHg as a ‘normal’ reading. The first number of the reading relates to the blood pressure when the heart muscle contracts – systole – and the second number relates to pressure during its relaxation phase – diastole.