00:00 A YouGov poll asked people in our region whether or not they regularly get their blood pressure
00:06 checked.
00:07 80% of people in Birmingham and across the Midlands said they don't.
00:11 It comes as a worrying 22% can't even remember the last time they were checked was, a survey
00:17 conducted on behalf of the Stroke Association has found.
00:20 It's often described as a silent killer.
00:22 High blood pressure is thought to affect an estimated 32% of adults here in the UK.
00:28 As the condition rarely has any symptoms, approximately 3 in 10 of these remain undiagnosed,
00:33 equating to more than 4.2 million people in England and Wales.
00:37 If your blood pressure is too high, it puts extra strain on your blood vessels, heart
00:41 and other organs such as the brain, kidneys and eyes and, if left untreated, the condition
00:45 can lead to fatal heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and vascular dementia.
00:50 It's not always clear what causes high blood pressure, but there are things that can increase
00:54 your risk.
00:55 According to the NHS, these risk factors include things like obesity, poor diet, lack of exercise,
01:00 smoking, drinking too much alcohol and/or caffeine and being over 65.
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