Keeping a lid on pressure
One in three UK
adults has high blood pressure, increasing their risk of a heart
attack or stroke – but not all of them know it. In this article
from the February 2012 issue of Heart Matters, cardiac nurse Judy
O’Sullivan learns more about BHF-funded research into the
condition’s causes and treatments.
Blood pressure is simply the
force of blood against the walls of our arteries, similar to the
way water exerts pressure inside a plastic pipe.
We need to keep a certain level of pressure in our arteries to
maintain normal body function, though this varies from person to
person. If it’s too high, it’s known as hypertension and, if
uncontrolled, it significantly increases your risk of a heart attack or stroke. The problem is,
it’s usually symptom-free so many people are unaware they have it,
which is why routine blood pressure checks are so important.
In a very small number of people, fewer than one in 100, high
blood pressure is caused by a rare genetic condition. But by far
the most common type is essential hypertension – the result of
genes and lifestyle combined. This type is responsible for
approximately seven in every ten strokes and five in every ten
heart attacks.
One of the biggest challenges in treating hypertension is to get
people to take their medication. If, like most people, you don’t
have symptoms – only a few people complain of headaches – you can’t
feel an immediate benefit from the medication.
Watch our short film about a new
scan to diagnose Conn's syndrome, a cause of
hypertension. (You may need to log into Heart Matters
first.)
And if you feel fine, it’s difficult to imagine that a heart
attack or stroke will happen to you, which is why many people don’t
take their tablets. However, high blood pressure can lead to heart
disease, as Ian Thomson’s story
shows.
Read about Mark
Caulfield's research into genetic causes of hypertension
Read about Morris
Brown's research into the best treatments for hypertension
Read about Chris
Bulpitt's research into hypertension in the elderly