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Take Control of Your Blood Pressure

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You could have high blood pressure and not know it, because for many people there are no obvious symptoms. This is why high blood pressure is often called the silent killer. The only way to tell if you have it is to have your blood pressure checked. Get a doctor or qualified health professional to check it for you regularly.

The first sign can be a heart attack or stroke

Most people don't realize that high blood pressure can kill them. They think it's just a warning sign of worse things to come. But every hour you live with uncontrolled high blood pressure, it damages your heart, your brain and your kidneys. Due to this damage, for some people the first sign of high blood pressure is a heart attack or stroke.

Common in Ontario

One in six people in Ontario have high blood pressure, and that number goes up to one in four over the age of 45. Most at risk are :

people with a family history of high blood pressure
those who smoke or drink heavily
those who have diabetes
and those who are overweight, or inactive.

Even so, you can be very fit and healthy, and still have high blood pressure. It's so important to have your blood pressure checked regularly and to keep it under control.

There are ways to prevent it – or control it

Because high blood pressure causes permanent damage, you should do everything possible to avoid it. If you have it, you should do everything you can to keep it under control.

The fact is that you can live a longer, healthier life if you prevent high blood pressure, and you could reduce your risk of having a stroke by 40 per cent. The best way to prevent high blood pressure is to live a healthy lifestyle by :

not smoking
maintaining a healthy body weight
staying active
avoiding alcohol.

A healthy lifestyle is also a vital factor in controlling high blood pressure once you've been diagnosed with it. Medication (with a healthy lifestyle) can help to bring it under control, but only if you keep taking it as the doctor prescribes.

For more information about a wide variety of health topics, visit HealthyOntario.



Media Line Toll-free : 1-888-414-4774 In Toronto : 416-314-6197	This synopsis is free to use in your publication. For further current health news and information, visit our News Media Section main page.

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