High blood pressure: half at risk of deadly stroke

A study which looked at a random group of people found suffered from 50 per cent from high blood pressure - one of the main causes of heart attacks and strokes. Researchers are calling for

mobile clinics to be set up in public areas to identify the problem in apparently 'healthy' individuals. High blood pressure, which has also been linked to dementia, can be easily

treated with drugs or lifestyle changes, once diagnosed. Known medically as hypertension, it has been dubbed the 'silent killer' because there are no symptoms. The condition puts

extra strain on people's hearts and blood vessels which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Researchers looked at the blood pressure of 1,097 participants. They found that

one in two people had high blood pressure, with one in fifty people at serious risk of health conditions. The majority of people who knew they had high blood pressure were not receiving

medical treatment. "What is particularly significant about this study is a surprisingly large number of participants exhibited some type of hypertensive urgency or emergency,” said Dr

Grant Pierce, of St Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, Canada. "Many of the participants were either unaware of their condition or simply not adherent to their medications. "Based on

these findings, we determined that a mobile hypertension clinic provides a valuable platform for identifying hypertension in the general public, as well as insight into the management of

this condition,” he added. Hypertension is said to affect around a quarter of British adults with many unaware of the risks - but now experts believe this figure could be higher. The

condition can easily be treated with drugs or lifestyle changes, drastically reducing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and dementia. However there are few symptoms of high blood pressure

and many don’t know they are suffering from the condition until they get ill or are tested. Julie Ward, blood pressure project manager at the British Heart Foundation, said: "As many as

seven million people in the UK are living with undiagnosed high blood pressure. "These people are at major risk of a sudden heart attack or stroke but are unlikely to be taking any

action to reduce that deadly risk. The only way to find out your risk is to get it measured. "If your blood pressure is found to be high, a healthcare professional can then advise you

on whether you need to make any lifestyle changes or have treatment," she added. The study was published in the American Journal of Hypertension.