High blood pressure is responsible for around half of the heart attacks and strokes in the UK and new research from the Office for National Statistics reveals that 170,000 young people aged between 16 and 24 unknowingly have it.
According to the ONS, young men were particularly likely to be undiagnosed - 66% of males and 26% of females aged 16 to 24 years, and 55% of males and 44% of females aged 25 to 34 years, compared with 17% of males and 21% of females aged 75 years and over.
High blood pressure can develop at any age and can be completely symptomless despite the strain it puts on blood vessels and the heart. This means that it can go both unnoticed and untreated and potentially cause serious health issues.
The Risks Of High Blood Pressure
According to the NHS, consistently high blood pressure can put you at risk of:
- Heart disease
- Heart attacks
- Strokes
- Heart failure
- Peripheral arterial disease
- Aortic aneurysms
- Kidney disease
- Vascular dementia
The good news is, if you have high blood pressure, reducing it even a small amount can lower your risk of these health conditions.
To have your blood pressure assessed, speak to your GP or pharmacist. The NHS recommends that people over the age of 40 get their blood pressure checked at least every five years but given that it can develop at any age, if you’re worried, get it tested sooner.
How To Reduce Blood Pressure
To lower your chances of developing serious health conditions, it’s important that you work to reduce your blood pressure wherever possible.
If you have high blood pressure, your doctor will work with you to find a treatment to find an effective treatment but there are things you can do to help yourself, too. These include cutting back on alcohol, cutting down on caffeine, stop smoking, and try to eat a healthy diet.