Blood Pressure - Is Yours Too High?

At least 1 in 4 of us have it and it's one of the biggest risk factors for heart attack and stroke. Yet unless we have it checked, we'll have no idea we're at risk.

We're talking about high blood pressure the pressure inside your body as your heart pumps blood round your circulation.

Knowing your blood pressure, and taking simple steps to reduce it, can dramatically cut your risk of these killers.

Having high blood pressure virtually never causes symptoms. However, all the time you have it, it's putting strain on your heart and increasing the chance of a clot in one of the arteries that supply your organs with blood. If the clot affects an artery supplying your brain, the result is a stroke. If it supplies your heart muscle, it's a heart attack.

If you've already been diagnosed with high blood pressure, you should get your blood pressure checked at least once or twice a year. It's vital to get regular follow-ups and to keep taking any medicine you're prescribed, every day. If you think it's causing side effects, ask a pharmacist for advice rather than stopping your medicine.