Nearly one-in-five ‘healthy’ people suffer high blood pressure – and DON’T know it
Researchers at Stony Brook and Columbia University analysed 888 seemingly-healthy people and found that almost 20 per cent were at risk.
HORDES of seemingly healthy people are suffering from undetected high blood pressure, experts have warned.
Researchers at Stony Brook and Columbia University analysed 888 people people with 'normal' blood pressure activity - only to discover that almost 20 per cent of them suffered from the condition.
The findings, suggest that 24-hour, around-the-clock monitoring is more effective than on-the-spot GP tests, which can create a false reading known as masked hypertension (high blood pressure), or reverse white coat syndrome.
This is when a person provides a healthy reading while in the presence of their doctor, but displays pressurised heart activity at other times of the day and night.
Comparing the results of working, middle-aged participants who had both types of tests between 2005 and 2012, the scientists found that 15.7 per cent of those with 'normal' readings on clinic tests had masked hypertension when monitored over a full 24-hour period.
Interestingly, it was younger people - especially men - who were at the greatest risk.
“These findings debunk the widely held belief that ambulatory blood pressure is usually lower than clinic blood pressure,” said Dr Schwartz, lead author, Professor of Psychiatry and Sociology at Stony Brook and Lecturer at Columbia University.
“It is important for healthcare providers to know that there is a systematic tendency for ambulatory blood pressure to exceed clinic blood pressure in healthy, untreated individuals evaluated for hypertension during well-patient visits.
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"Our study’s results may not apply to those who have previously been diagnosed as having hypertension or are already being treated for hypertension.”
Hypertension affects around a quarter of the UK’s adults, but many are totally oblivious to the risks.
Thankfully, it can easily be treated with drugs or lifestyle changes, drastically reducing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and dementia.
But owing to high blood pressure having so few symptoms until it is too late, many have no idea they suffer from it until they get ill or tested.
The findings are published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.
What are the risks of hypertension?
High blood pressure, or hypertension, rarely has noticeable symptoms. But if untreated, it increases your risk of serious problems such as heart attacks and strokes.
More than one in four adults in the UK have high blood pressure, although many won't realise it. The only way to find out if your blood pressure is high is to have your blood pressure checked.
If your blood pressure is too high, it puts extra strain on your blood vessels, heart and other organs, such as the brain, kidneys and eyes.
Persistent high blood pressure can increase your risk of a number of serious and potentially life-threatening conditions, such as: heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, aortic aneurysms, kidney disease, vascular dementia.
If you have high blood pressure, reducing it even a small amount can help lower your risk of these conditions.
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