March 11th 2024
Crucial campaign launched to encourage adults to check for ‘silent killer’
A new NHS campaign has been unveiled to encourage millions more adults to check for high blood pressure levels.
This morning, NHS England announced its new campaign Get Your Blood Pressure Checked, which aims to warn people that high blood pressure can often show no symptoms but can be detrimental to a person’s health.
Previously, the NHS outlined plans to install blood pressure checks in places such as barbers and community centres after research found that men are twice as likely to have a heart attack than women. However, this new campaign will expand its offering to include 2.5 million more checks for adults aged 40 and over within local pharmacies.
Professor Sir Chris Whitty, chief medical officer of NHS England, said: ‘High blood pressure usually has no symptoms but can lead to serious health consequences.
‘The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to get a simple, non-invasive blood pressure test.’
‘Even if you are diagnosed, the good news is that it’s usually easily treatable,’ Professor Whitty said. ‘Getting your blood pressure checked at a local pharmacy is free, quick and you don’t even need an appointment, so please go for a check today – it could save your life.’
If high blood pressure is left untreated, it can cause heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and vascular dementia.
According to a poll of more than 2,000 people aged 40 and over to support the campaign found that 41% of people are unaware that, if left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart disease.
Against this backdrop, more than a fifth were unaware it can cause strokes and heart attacks.
Around one in three adults are thought to suffer high blood pressure, with around three in 10 of those undiagnosed – 4.2 million people in this country.
Various health charities are supporting this new campaign including the British Heart Foundation, Heart Research UK, Blood Pressure UK and the Stroke Association.
Gloria Hunniford, a television and radio presenter who is best known for hosting shows on the BBC and ITV, said: ‘This campaign is very close to my heart – both my husband and my farther sadly suffered from a number of strokes due to high blood pressure, so I know from personal experience just how important it is to get your blood pressure checked, even if you feel healthy.
‘That’s why I’m so please to hear that pharmacies offer free, quick blood pressure checks for people aged 40 and over – thankfully, this really will save lives.’
In addition, health minister Andrea Leadsom, claimed: ‘Knowing if you have healthy blood pressure is so important and this new drive will help to prevent the potentially fatal consequences of untreated high blood pressure.’
Image: Marcelo Leal