High blood pressure death risk for thousands in Leeds and Wakefield

Blood Pressure UK estimate 193,000 people in Leeds and 93,300 in Wakefield have high blood pressure, but 50 per cent have never been tested and are unaware of the problem.

High blood pressure was responsible for approximately 75,000 deaths in the UK in 2015, and costs the NHS billions every year.

Blood Pressure UK is warning that poor diet and excess salt is leading people aged in their thirties to fifties to develop high blood pressure, which is responsible for around 60 per cent of all strokes

The UK’s biggest free blood pressure testing event for the charity’s ‘Know Your Numbers’ campaign is taking place from today to Sunday September 24.

Blood pressure testing stations will be available at pharmacies across the region and volunteers will provide information and advice on simple steps to keep blood pressure under control.

Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of Blood Pressure UK, said: “As an individual having your blood pressure checked is the most important step that you can take to reduce your risk of stroke, heart attack or heart failure.”

Associate Professor Jamie Waterall, lead for cardiovascular disease prevention at Public Health England, said: “High blood pressure is the third biggest cause of early death and ill health in England. This is why it’s so important to know our numbers, in the same way we would know our weight or height - it is arguably one of the most important numbers we should know as adults.”

For more details, go to www.bloodpressureuk.org/Home