This May, the local NHS is urging everyone over 40 to ‘take a sec to check’ their blood pressure.
A blood pressure check is simple and takes only a matter of minutes – and it could save your life. You might feel healthy and strong, but high blood pressure, sometimes known as hypertension, usually has no symptoms but can lead to serious and life-threatening conditions like heart attacks and stroke.
If you are over 40 and have not had a blood pressure check in the last six months you can visit one of more than 200 pharmacies across Hertfordshire and west Essex to have yours checked.
People who are Black or South Asian are more likely to be at risk from high blood pressure, so if this applies to you or your family members, please do come forward for a quick, free and painless check.
Daisy Mpofu, a 37-year-old primary school teacher from Watford, exercises regularly and had no idea she had hidden high blood pressure.
Daisy had not checked her blood pressure for around five years and had not thought about doing so until being offered the check at the school where she works.
Daisy said: “I remember our headteacher approached me and said there was going to be the opportunity for staff members to have their blood pressure checked if they wanted to.
“One of the school governors had received some training and was going to do it and I realised it had been a few years and I just thought I would give it a go.”
The check at school showed her blood pressure was unexpectedly high.
Having contacted her GP Daisy was advised to take blood pressure readings at home over the course of a week and was then prescribed medication which has helped lower her blood pressure into the healthy range.
“Had I not had it checked then I probably would not have identified the fact I had high blood pressure as I just assumed it was still fine.”
Since her diagnosis Daisy has also discovered other members of her family also have high blood pressure.
“It has changed my perception that high blood pressure is something you get when you are old, and I am encouraging all my friends to take a test, particularly those who are a similar age to me.”
Finding the time to have a blood pressure check can often be a reason people might put off having one, so since October a number of dentists and opticians have been offering patients the chance to have a blood pressure check during their routine appointments.
Neha Patel an Optometrist at Specsavers Harlow, which is one of the opticians taking part in the pilot, said:
“Patients are pleasantly surprised that we can offer blood pressure checks.
“As Optometrists we ask about a patient’s family history, and any symptoms they may be experiencing. We also look at blood vessels at the back of the eye as part of our work. We can detect signs of high blood pressure when examining the health of eyes. This puts us in an excellent position to advise a patient to have a blood pressure check.
“We would previously have to request the patient see their GP for a blood pressure check, but now we can offer the service in store. Patients find this much more convenient, and it saves them time. We have had very positive feedback for the scheme.”
More Information about where to get a blood pressure check, how to understand what the numbers mean, plus advice on how to make healthy changes to your lifestyle can be found on the Blood Pressure page of the ICB website.