High Blood Pressure – What causes it & how to tackle it?

***This blog was written by a work experience student and edited by the Healthwatch team***

The NHS listed that [[1]]lack of exercise, obesity, smoking, stress, poor diet etc. can increase the risk of getting high blood pressure (hypertension) in the UK. Interestingly, even though all these factors can be controlled, there are [[2]] 14.4 million people who have high blood pressure in the UK. High blood pressure is a significant health concern in the borough as many residents of Barking & Dagenham have it undiagnosed. Furthermore, [[3]] 14,000 people in Barking and Dagenham had circulatory/heart disorders, and 30,000 had high blood pressure as of April 2023. Since 17,000 residents of the borough have diabetes and 30% of the population is obese, both of which are associated with an elevated risk of high blood pressure, the actual statistics are probably higher.

A reading of 140/90mm HG or above (millimetres of mercury) is considered high blood pressure, and a reading between 90/60 to 120/80mm HG is considered healthy, normal blood pressure. High blood pressure, nevertheless, can also be caused by other, more immediate factors. Causes of Higher blood pressure [[4]]:

• Diabetes
• Kidney disease
• Lupus
• Medicines, such as ibuprofen, cough syrup, anti-depressants
• Drugs

However, most of these causes aren’t the most significant factors for developing high blood pressure, and they can be prevented and managed.

Your heart, blood vessels, and other organs, including the brain, kidneys, and eyes, are all subjected to additional strain when your blood pressure is too high. Consistently high blood pressure can raise your risk of developing several serious and perhaps fatal health conditions, including heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, aortic aneurysms, kidney disease, and vascular dementia. [[5]]

If you have high blood pressure, reducing it even a small amount can help lower your risk of these health conditions. Methods for lowering high blood pressure [[6]]:

• Regular exercise
• Healthy diet
• Reducing salt in your diet
• Limit alcohol consumption
• Stopping smoking
• Regular health checkups/Monitor blood pressure at home
• Reducing stress
• Getting enough sleep

You can help someone you know who has high blood pressure or is at risk of developing it by doing the following [[7]]:

• Remind them to get checkups.
• Provide emotional support.
• Help set a medication routine.
• Exercise with them.

Overall, high blood pressure can be avoided, but there are still some situations where it cannot be managed, and medication is required. High blood pressure is primarily brought on by inactivity and a poor diet in the UK. To test your blood pressure, you can buy a blood pressure monitor from a pharmacy/online or book a blood pressure test at your GP surgery or use a self-service machine at some pharmacies.

References:

[1] [4] https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-blood-pressure-hypertension/causes/

[2] https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2019/may/four-million-people-are-living-with-untreated-high-blood-pressure

[3] https://www.bhf.org.uk/-/media/files/health-intelligence/1/barking-and-dagenham-bhf-statistics.pdf

[5] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20046974

[6] https://www.bloodpressureuk.org/news/media-centre/blood-pressure-facts-and-figures/

[7] https://millionhearts.hhs.gov/files/TipSheet_LovedOne_General.pdf