A simple blood pressure test can help pick up first signs of cardiovascular disease

Paulomi Debnath took a blood pressure test that revealed she was living with hypertension (Paulomi Debnath)

Paulomi Debnath was a fit and healthy 43-year-old who didn’t smoke or eat junk food, but last year when she began to feel tired she went to talk to her GP. By chance, she took a blood pressure test that revealed she was living with hypertension.

“I’m usually quite energetic, but I noticed I was feeling tired and I had a feeling of pressure on the back of my head,” she said.

“The doctor asked me to come in. While I was there I had my blood pressure taken and it was off the chart, so I had to have it measured regularly for two weeks and I was given tablets to lower it.”

Hypertension – a blood pressure consistently over 140/90 – is the largest known risk factor cardiovascular disease (CVD), a general term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels. While CVD has symptoms, hypertension doesn’t.

CVD is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in England, accounting for almost one in four (24 per cent) deaths in England in 2019.

But it is largely preventable.

Around 50 per cent of heart attacks and strokes are associated with hypertension, and an estimated 12.7m people in England have the disease, but around 4.2 million of those do not have a diagnosis.

Paulomi, from Romford, Essex, added: “I’m used to being more energetic and getting treatment has helped with that. I would 100 per cent recommend that anyone over 40 gets their blood pressure checked because often there are no symptoms if it’s high. It only takes a minute.”

I would 100 per cent recommend that anyone over 40 gets their blood pressure checked

Paulomi Debnath, who is living with hypertension

If your blood pressure is too high, it puts extra strain on your blood vessels, heart and other organs, such as the brain, kidneys and eyes.

Persistent high blood pressure can increase your risk of a number of serious and potentially life-threatening health conditions, such as a heart attack and stroke.

If you have high blood pressure, reducing it even a small amount can help lower your risk of these health conditions.

What is high blood pressure?

Blood pressure is recorded with 2 numbers. The systolic pressure (higher number) is the force at which your heart pumps blood around your body.

The diastolic pressure (lower number) is the resistance to the blood flow in the blood vessels.

They’re both measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg).

As a general guide:

• high blood pressure is considered to be from 140/90mmHg (or an average of 135/85mmHg if measured at home) – or 150/90mmHg (or an average of 145/85mmHg at home) if you’re over the age of 80
• ideal blood pressure is usually considered to be between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg, while the target for over-80s is below 150/90mmHg (or 145/85mmHg if measured at home)

Blood pressure readings between 120/80mmHg and 140/90mmHg could mean you’re at risk of developing high blood pressure if you do not take steps to keep your blood pressure under control.

For Emma Noel Pinnock, 42, she was aware of the disease because her parents and siblings had a history of high blood pressure.

She explained: “I had a very strange health episode where my blood pressure was just completely climbing and wouldn’t come down. That was when I was diagnosed with having high blood pressure.

Emma Noel Pinnock knew of the disease because her family had high blood pressure (Emma Noel Pinnock)

“I have a machine and I monitor it regularly ... so I’m very aware of that as well.”

How to check your blood pressure

The only way of knowing whether you have high blood pressure is to have a blood pressure test.

All adults over 40 are advised to have their blood pressure checked at least every 5 years.

Getting this done is easy and could save your life. You can check your blood pressure yourself using a home blood pressure monitor, or you can get your blood pressure tested at a number of places, including:

• at many pharmacies
• at your GP surgery
• as part of your NHS Health Check
• in some workplaces

Things that can increase your risk of getting high blood pressure

It’s not always clear what causes high blood pressure, but there are things that can increase your risk.

You might be more at risk if you:

• are overweight
• eat too much salt and do not eat enough fruit and vegetables
• do not do enough exercise
• drink too much alcohol or coffee (or other caffeine-based drinks)
• smoke
• do not get much sleep or have disturbed sleep
• are over 65
• have a relative with high blood pressure
• are of black African or black Caribbean descent

Making healthy lifestyle changes can sometimes help reduce your chances of getting high blood pressure and help lower your blood pressure if it’s already high.

Treatment for high blood pressure

Pharmacists and your GP surgery team can help you keep your blood pressure to a safe level using:

• lifestyle changes
• medicines

What works best is different for each person.

Talk to your pharmacist or GP surgery to help you decide about treatment.

Get your blood pressure tested. Find out more at nhs.uk

Using the NHS app

The NHS App is an efficient and convenient way of accessing medical help.

The features and benefits of the app include ordering repeat prescriptions and viewing your health information securely as well as finding reliable information on hundreds of different conditions and treatments . It can be downloaded through the app store on your smartphone. It is available to anyone aged 13 and over registered with an NHS GP in England and the Isle of Man.