Originally from: The Guardian UK and tweaked for Australia audience by National Stroke Foundation.

What do the two readings mean?

Blood pressure is measured in “millimetres of mercury” (mm Hg) and is written as two numbers. The first (or top) number is your systolic blood pressure. It is the highest level your blood pressure reaches when your heart beats. The second (or bottom) number is your diastolic blood pressure. It is the lowest level your blood pressure reaches as your heart relaxes between beats.

How do I know if I have high blood pressure?

High blood pressure usually has no signs or symptoms, so the only way to know if you have hypertension is to have your blood pressure measured. The National Heart Foundation of Australia currently defines normal adult blood pressure as less than 120/80 mmHg. A reading between 120/80 and 140/90 mmHg is classified as normal to high blood pressure. High blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg or higher. If your blood pressure is 180/110 or higher, you have very high blood pressure.

If it has no symptoms why should I be concerned?

High blood pressure can lead to a heart attack, a stroke, heart failure or kidney disease.

There are often no symptoms of high blood pressure. Therefore, it is important that you have regular blood pressure checks. The only way to find out if your blood pressure is high is by having it checked regularly by a health professional.

Does blood pressure rise with age?

High blood pressure is caused by a range of factors including age, gender and family history. In most economically developed societies, blood pressure progressively rises with age although its unclear how much of this is to do with age per se or a lifetime of exposure to modifiable risk factors such as excessive salt and cholesterol intake, poor diet, physical inactivity and smoking.

Isn’t having a test quite anxiety-making?

Indeed. “White coat syndrome” is a phenomenon in which patients exhibit elevated blood pressure in a clinical setting but not at home. It is believed that this may be due to the anxiety some people experience when their reading is taken by a doctor.

To obtain a more accurate ambulatory reading, experts recommend that blood pressure should ideally be taken at home twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening, with follow-up readings over several days.

One of my parents has high blood pressure: does that put me at risk?

Approximately 30% of cases of essential hypertension are attributable to genetic factors. For example, individuals who have one or two parents with hypertension are twice as likely to suffer from hypertension as the general population.

To date researchers have identified 28 blood pressure genes, including several that control a group of hormones known collectively as the angiotensin-renin-aldosterone system. This system influences all aspects of blood pressure control, including blood vessel contraction, sodium and water balance, and cell development in the heart. One theory as to why these genes may have been conserved in populations is that in times when salt was scarce, they conferred a survival advantage by enabling the body to conserve more sodium.

Know your numbers blood pressure check

This week we ran a Know your numbers free blood pressure station at Southern Cross Train station in Melbourne, for National Stroke Week.

We received this email from Linda and we wanted to share with you all.

I want to thank you, on Monday you had a free Blood Pressure check at Southern Cross Station, I thought why not check. To my disbelief the reading was 169/106 I was floored and thought no way I have always been 110/70 low. Two days later I wanted to prove you wrong so I went to my GP for a further reading, he said Linda you BP is 170/88 needless to say I was given medication for three weeks with a chage of habit ie diet & fitness. I wanted to say that Angels  made me take your test and get a wake up call and possibility that you have saved my valuable life. Keep up spreading the word as I did when I went back to work, thanking you Linda.

Find your closest location for a free blood pressure check.

Note: the image provided is not of Linda, but is taken at Southern Cross Station on the day.

If you have had a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA), also known as a mini-stroke, you have a greater chance of having a second stroke or TIA.

There are several things you can do to lower the chance of having another stroke including reducing your blood pressure and cholesterol, quitting smoking, exercising regularly, eating healthy foods and taking the right medications.

Medication to prevent stroke

There are many different medications your doctor may prescribe to reduce your risk of having another stroke or TIA. It is important that you understand:

• what medication(s) you are taking
• why you are taking them
• how and when you should take them (eg. with or without food)
• any side effects of your medication
• what happens if you suddenly stop taking your medication.

Blood pressure

High blood pressure is the most important risk factor for stroke. Keeping your blood pressure controlled is essential. Medications to reduce your blood pressure are called ‘antihypertensives’ (anti = against + hypertensive = high blood pressure).

All people with a previous stroke or TIA should be on medication to reduce blood pressure. Blood pressure therapy is recommended even if your blood pressure is normal. This reduces your risk of subsequent events.

There are different types of blood pressure-lowering medications. Your doctor will work with you to find the medication, or the combination of medications, that is best for you.

You may also be advised to modify your diet or increase the amount of exercise to help reduce your blood pressure (refer to the National Stroke Foundation’s ‘High blood pressure and stroke’ brochure for more information).

Blood thinners
Blood thinners help reduce the risk of blood clots forming which can lead to a stroke. There are two types of blood thinners:

1. Antiplatelet medication (Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors). This group of medications keep tiny cells (platelets) in the blood from sticking together and forming blood clots.
There are three common types of antiplatelet medication including:

• Aspirin
• A combination of Aspirin and Dipyridamole
• Clopidogrel

Different medications may be prescribes depending on which ones are appropriate.

2. Anticoagulant medication also stops your blood from forming clots, however this medication uses a different chemical process. Common examples include Heparin and Warfarin. If you are taking Warfarin, you may need to have your blood tested regularly to see if you have the right level of medication in your blood.

Anticoagulant medication may also be prescribed if you have atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat) or those with particular heart conditions (eg. A prosthetic heart valve).

You may bleed more easily when taking these medications. It is important you try to prevent accidents or injuries (eg. falling over) or that you tell your health professional before undergoing other medical treatment (eg. surgery). Your doctor will help you decide the most effective medication for your condition.

Cholesterol

High cholesterol is another risk factor for stroke. You should take medication to lower your cholesterol if you’ve had an ischaemic stroke or TIA (blood clot).

You should also be given advice on how to lower your cholesterol by changing your diet, increasing regular exercise and/or reducing your weight. The most common type of medication to lower cholesterol is called ‘statins’.

Please refer to the National Stroke Foundation’s ‘High cholesterol and stroke’ brochure for more
information. You can download here.

For more infomation about medications and to download fact sheets, click here.

They say we’re living in the information age, where the potential to know details about almost anything is virtually at our fingertips. But what about the important information that we sometimes forget to track? Everyday important functions of our body that we rely on, but can take for granted. I am referring of course to blood pressure.

The scary fact is that one in three Australians over the age of 25 has high blood pressure. It could easily be you. Are you aware of it? If not, you certainly should be. It is the most important risk factor for having a stroke, and stroke is the country’s second biggest killer and a leading cause of disability. The National Stroke Foundation has a solution to help you track your blood pressure numbers. Every time you have your blood pressure measured at your pharmacy or GP you simply enter your blood pressure reading onto the BP Tracker site.

Through monitoring it with this easy online tool, you will be able to realise if the numbers are gradually getting higher so that you can take action and help to reduce your risk of a stroke.  Now why would you let the most important information slip through the nets of the information age? Make sure you register and start BP Tracking today!