00:00 A YouGov poll asked people in our region whether or not they regularly get their blood pressure
00:05 checked. 83% of people in Bristol and across the south of England said they don't. It comes
00:12 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. High blood pressure is thought to affect an estimated
00:24 32% of adults here in the UK. As the condition rarely has any symptoms, approximately 3 in
00:30 10 of these remain undiagnosed, equating to more than 4.2 million people in England and
00:36 Wales. If your blood pressure is too high, it puts extra strain on your blood vessels,
00:40 heart and other organs such as the brain, kidneys and eyes and, if left untreated, the
00:45 condition 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. According to the NHS, these risk factors include things like obesity, poor
00:59 diet, lack of exercise, smoking, drinking too much alcohol and/or caffeine and being
01:03 over 65.
Comments