40% Of Spanish Have High Blood Pressure
According to latest research HM Hospitales looks at ways to combat high blood pressure.
High blood pressure is one of the most important cardiovascular risk factors. Despite that, and the elevated prevalence, almost 40% of people don’t know they are hypertensive, a circumstance due to the fact that the pathology doesn’t show symptoms.
That is why, in order to enhance prevention, specialists of the Center of Cardiovascular Diseases HM CIEC recommend to perform regular controls that should be more frequent over the years and thus, control the risk factors.
Currently, four of ten Spanish suffer from high blood pressure, a problem that increase with age and affects three of four parts of the population from the age of 60, especially men. From 75 years old, numbers get equal in both genders. Yet,
Doctor Ana Martín Arnau, a cardiologist from the team led by Doctor Francisco Javier Parra (pictured), chief of the Cardiology Service of HM CIEC, alerts about the increasing level of young hypertension patients, specially men, which affects 15% of people under 30 and gets over 25% of people from 30 to 45.
We estimate that four out of ten people with high blood pressure are not diagnosed. This occurs, principally, in men under 45 years old and this may be because of a lack of symptoms. Nevertheless, Doctor Martín Arnau assures that “there are some signs that can alert about the problem, such as headache, chest pain, dizziness, lack of air and palpitations.” In these cases, we always recommend to see a specialist.
Because of the fact that the pathology is very frequent, we don’t pay attention to high blood pressure, despite being one of the highest cardiovascular risk factors” explains Doctor Martín Arnau. It is so important that a high number of cases of angina pectoris, heart attacks, cardiac insufficiency, strokes, renal failures, retine alterations and in the optic nerve, with blurry vision or loss of sight, erectile dysfunction and peripheral vascular disease.
That is why, apart from the symptoms, specialists recommend to measure regularly the blood pressure to dismiss values superior than the normal. It is recommended to perform these tests at least once at adolescence and more frequently from 18 to 20 years old, when risk factors appear such as stress or sedentariness. It is also recommended to measure the blood pressure at different days, because “multiple measures are more accurate and, besides, the first result is normally the higher one”, affirms Doctor Martín Arnau. Another option is to record it with an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring which is a tensiometer that measure automatically the blood pressure during 24 hours.
Preventing hypertension is good for your heart
Prevention is to control risk factors known, such as: keeping a heart-healthy lifestyle, with a low-salt and low-fat diet, limiting alcohol consumption and not smoking, controlling weight and practicing physical exercises regularly. Following this advice can be very useful in treating diagnosed hypertension. “Often, with this first step it is enough, especially when hypertension is minor”, says Doctor Martin. If it is not this case, pharmacological treatment is required but always on the base of a healthy lifestyle. Treatment tends to be for life, since once hypertension is controlled, values have to be controlled as specialist of HM CIEC informs.
KEY FACTS
Periodic controls help prevent high blood pressure, one of the most important cardiovascular risk factors
Specialists of the Integral Center of Cardiovascular Diseases HM CIEC advise that a healthy way of life to reduce risk factors is the key
40% of hypertensive people are not aware they are
The pathology affects specially men under 45
For more information on HM Hospitales and Healthcare Solutions in Spain – https://www.hmhospitales.com/servicios-al-paciente/international-patient