6 million French people suffer from high blood pressure without knowing it…
It is estimated that 17 million French people suffer from high blood pressure, 6 million of whom do not know it. The risk of having abnormally high blood pressure increases with age. Characterized by an increase in pressure in the arteries, it constitutes a very significant cardiovascular threat with an increased risk of myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and renal failure. “From the age of 40, it is recommended to monitor your blood pressure”warns Professor Gérard Helft, professor of cardiology and president of the French Federation of Cardiology.
“The Silent Killer”
In the vast majority of cases there are no symptoms. “That’s why we call high blood pressure “the silent killer”.”, specifies Professor Helft. It is therefore important to measure your blood pressure as you age to detect hypertension. The measurement can be done at the general practitioner or at home. For our interlocutor, self-measurement at home using a blood pressure monitor is “even better than at the doctor because blood pressure is variable. It is better to take an average over time.. This average is achievable with three blood pressure measurements in the morning and three measurements in the evening for 3 days. The average number determines whether blood pressure is high or not. “If the average is greater than 13.5 cmHg of systolic pressure or 8.5 cmHg of diastolic pressure, this is already high blood pressure that must be taken care of” determines the doctor. “High blood pressure is considered to be truly severe if it is greater than 18 cmHg for systolic pressure and 11 cmHg for diastolic pressure. It is in these more severe cases that it can cause symptoms such as:
- visual blur
- ringing in the ears
- headaches
In very rare cases, the person may also be short of breath at rest and/or experience headaches. “very intense” according to our interlocutor.
If you notice high blood pressure “you can first go to your general practitioner who will confirm or not the diagnosis of hypertension and carry out an assessment to find the causes” recommends Professor Helft. “As family background, overweight and lack of physical activity are risk factors, it is recommended to increase physical activity, lose weight if necessary and reduce salt consumption if it is important to reduce blood pressure.”