World Hypertension Day is celebrated every year on 17th May to create awareness about high blood pressure and related health disorders. High blood pressure or hypertension is a very common heath disorder these days and it leads to a number of other health issues as well. Hypertension affects your health at every level. It can quietly damage your body for years before symptoms develop such as it can damage heart, brain, kidneys, eyes, arteries and even sexual dysfunction. High blood pressure is symptom less and therefore it is sometimes called the ‘silent killer’. Therefore, it is highly recommended to keep your blood pressure levels checked on a regular basis even if you feel normal.
Here are some important things that you should know about high blood pressure.
Hypertension is the biggest single risk factor for death worldwide causing heart diseases, stroke, kidney diseases, and diabetes.
High blood pressure is linked to a higher risk of vascular dementia, a loss of cognitive function. According to a recent study, uncontrolled high blood pressure during midlife ( age 45 to 65) can lead to a higher risk of dementia later in life.
High blood pressure does not affect only older people, in fact, younger people can have hypertension too. Young adults over the age of 18 should get their blood pressure levels checked once in a year.
However, both men and women can get affected by high blood pressure. In the case of women, levels of high blood pressure increase as income decreases. Up to the age of 64, there are high rates of men with hypertension than women.
The high blood pressure level is linked to obesity as well. Obesity and hypertension are interrelated and occurrence of one of them can lead to the other and vice versa.
Therefore, it is important to bring some lifestyle changes to help keep your blood pressure in a healthy range and lowers the risk of heart and other diseases that may arise in the future. Bring these changes in your everyday life to lower the risk of hypertension. Eat a balanced diet with more fresh fruits and vegetables, maintain a healthy weight, get active and exercise every day, stop smoking, and limit the consumption of alcohol. To know more, consult Dr. Manish Joshi, a renowned gastroenterologist in Bangalore for the best guidance on how to keep the blood pressure level under control.