'Know your numbers' this blood pressure awareness week
Somerset Council’s Public Health Team and NHS Somerset are urging residents across the county to check your blood pressure
Somerset Council’s Public Health Team and NHS Somerset are urging everyone to 'Know Your Numbers' as we head into an awareness week all about the condition.
It's as 1 in 10 people in Somerset have high blood pressure and they don't know, according to our region's NHS.
It's hoped this week, coordinated by Blood Pressure UK, will give people the chance to get the treatment and support they need.
The awareness week runs from 4 – 10 September and is the UK’s biggest blood pressure testing and awareness-raising event - with this year's theme being, 'make the time, ease your pressure'.
In Somerset, the NHS estimate there are around 40,000 people with hypertension who do not know they have it, so this campaign gives them the chance to get the treatment and support they need to lower their blood pressure and lead a long and healthy life.
'Knowing your numbers means you can start making healthy lifestyle changes'
Councillor Adam Dance, Lead Member for Public Health, Equalities and Diversity at Somerset County Council Health, said: "High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and significantly increases the risk of having a heart attack or stroke, – but early detection and treatment can help people live longer, healthier lives.
“Knowing your numbers means you can start making healthy lifestyle changes to lower your blood pressure level and get it under control. So, it’s essential to make the time to check your blood pressure. By keeping a record of your numbers, this will help you and your GP to see how your blood pressure is responding to any treatments and lifestyle changes you make.
Somerset Council's Public Health Team has worked with the library service to put in place a service that provides blood pressure monitoring kits which can be loaned for a fortnight, allowing people to check their blood pressure, ‘at rest’, in their own home.
High blood pressure usually has no visible symptoms but if left untreated, it can lead to serious illness.
It can however be easily treated once identified.
Dr Solomon Lebese, Cardiovascular Clinical Champion at NHS Somerset said: "Currently in Somerset, about 1 in 10 people have high blood pressure and they don’t know. Therefore, if we can increase the number of people checking their blood pressure, we can reduce around 250 related medical incidents over a 5-year period.
“Schemes like these blood pressure monitor borrowing schemes ensure that monitors are easily accessible within the community, and I would encourage people across Somerset to use them."
For anyone who is not a library member it is really easy to join, either call into your local branch or go online.