Hypertension (High blood pressure)
Around 30-40% of people in Ireland have high blood pressure and many do not know it because generally, it is not associated with any symptoms.
If left untreated, high blood pressure increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, vascular disease, dementia, heart failure and kidney failure.
Blood pressure refers to how strongly blood presses against the walls of your arteries (blood vessels) as it is pumped around your body by your heart.
If this pressure is high, it leads to turbulent flow and can damage the lining of your blood vessels. It is easier for cholesterol plaques to stick to a damaged arterial lining. High blood pressure can also shear off fragments of cholesterol plaques which can then travel and cause blockages.
Your chances of developing high blood pressure increase as you get older. There is often no clear cause of high blood pressure but you are at an increased risk if you:
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Are overweight.
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Have a sibling or parent with high blood pressure.
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Are of African or Caribbean descent
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Eat a lot of salt/processed foods.
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Don’t eat many vegetables.
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Don’t exercise regularly.
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Drink a lot of alcohol.
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If you smoke, you are at a higher risk of stroke and heart disease and you should be extra-vigilant about managing your blood pressure.
Prevention/non-pharmacological management:
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Aim to maintain a healthy weight.
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Being active – this is one of the most important things you can do to prevent or control high blood pressure see Croi.ie or GetActiveIreland.ie
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Eat a wholefood, plant-rich, colourful diet full of nuts, wholegrains and vegetables see Croi.ie “Mindful Eating” and “Eating the Mediterranean Way”
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Stopping smoking see Quit.ie
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Limiting caffeine to 2-3 cups per day
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Limiting your alcohol intake
My blood pressure is high, what now?
Please turn over:
Diagnosing hypertension:
If your blood pressure is high when it is checked in the surgery, you will be asked to have a 24 hour blood pressure monitor.
This is because many people have “white coat hypertension”, meaning the act of checking their blood pressure, causes it to rise.
A 24 hour blood pressure monitor is a machine that you will be fitted with here in the surgery.
You wear it for 24 hours and it will monitor your blood pressure at regular intervals during the day and night.
If the computer generated report is normal, you can be reassured that your blood pressure is normal but you are advised to repeat the monitor on an annual basis so that we will identify hypertension if it develops.
If your monitor confirms hypertension, your doctor will discuss starting you on medication to bring it into the normal range.
Having well-controlled blood pressure reduces your risk of all the complications mentioned overleaf.
It can take time to identify the correct combination of medications for someone with high blood pressure and you may need to have several 24 hour blood pressure monitors over several months until your blood pressure is adequately controlled and you feel well.
What next:
If you are diagnosed with hypertension and you are well and happy on your treatment, you will be issued with a 6 month prescription for your medication, this can be re-issued once for another 6 months without seeing the doctor.
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Please follow the advice overleaf to optimize your overall health.
Every 12 months, please attend the nurse for
a 24 hour blood pressure monitor, biometrics, blood and urine tests
and then attend the doctor 2 weeks later when your results are available and your prescription can be safely reissued.