59502-ihf-manage your blood pressure not a disease of the nervous or highly strung person, nor is it...

MANAGE YOURBLOOD PRESSUREand reduce your riskof heart diseaseand stroke

www.irishheart.ie

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What is blood pressure?

Everyone has blood pressure.It shows the amount of workthat your heart has to do topump blood around the body.

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High blood pressure(hypertension) usually has nosymptoms. If not treated orkept under control, it is oneof the major risk factors forstroke.

Two numbers measure the level of blood pressure.One number records blood pressure when thepressure is at its highest, as the heart muscle squeezesout the blood from the heart - this is called systolicpressure. Then the heart relaxes, which allows theblood to flow back into the heart - this is calleddiastolic pressure.

The normal level of blood pressure is usually about120 (systolic) over 80 (diastolic). If you have been toldthat your blood pressure is 140 over 90 or higher (or140 over 80 if you have diabetes) you should discussthis with your family doctor.

If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, itmeans your blood pressure is consistently higher thanit should be. The higher your blood pressure, thegreater your risk of stroke. High blood pressure is alsoa major risk for heart attack.

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How do I know if my blood pressure is high?You have high blood pressure if either your systolicblood pressure is 140 mmHg or higher, or yourdiastolic blood pressure is 90 mmHg or higher, after ithas been measured a number of different times.

A person with high blood pressure may feel well, lookwell and rarely has any symptoms. The only way tofind out if you have high blood pressure is to have itmeasured. Blood pressure varies with age anddepends on how active you are before it is measured.If you are nervous or anxious, the measurement canbe higher than usual.

One high reading does not necessarily mean that youhave seriously high blood pressure. Your doctor willusually want to check your blood pressure severaltimes, before deciding whether or not you have highblood pressure.

If you have a high reading at your first appointment,you should be asked back for at least two moreappointments so that your measurements can bechecked. The more blood pressure readings youhave, the more accurate your diagnosis of high bloodpressure will be, particularly as blood pressurefluctuates throughout the day and night.

One in five peoplehave a stroke at sometime in their life.Stroke can strike atany age. It couldhappen to you or afamily member.



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24 hour blood pressure monitoringIf your blood pressure is more than 140 over 90, youshould have it monitored over 24-hours. Thismonitoring uses a small device on a belt at your waist,attached to a blood pressure cuff on your arm.

The device measures your blood pressure 2-3 timeseach hour. This gives your doctor many more bloodpressure readings to help decide if you have highblood pressure and if you need treatment. Monitoringblood pressure over 24 hours is very useful indiagnosing white coat hypertension.

About a quarter of those having their blood pressurechecked in a surgery or clinic have what is called“white coat hypertension”, This happens becausemany people become anxious about having theirblood pressure checked and in turn their bloodpressure levels become raised.

More and more pharmacies are now offering bloodpressure checks and some do 24-hour blood pressuremonitoring. For more information on 24-hour bloodpressure monitoring, see www.irishheart.ie.

Sometimes your doctor will suggest you buy a reliableblood pressure monitor and measure your bloodpressure regularly at home. Or you may have theopportunity to have your blood pressure checked inyour local pharmacy and if you are on tablets, to seethat it is properly controlled.

Inmild or borderline cases, the doctor mayrecommend the following changes to your lifestyle:• be more physically active• be a healthy weight• if you smoke, stop smoking• eat a diet high in fruit and vegetables and low in fat,salt and processed foods

• drink less alcohol and keep within therecommended limits



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These lifestyle changes may help to reduce yourblood pressure and can sometimes bring bloodpressure that is mildly high to a normal level, but formost people, tablets that lower blood pressure will berequired.

What can happen if you have high blood pressure?High blood pressure causes stroke, heart attack, heartfailure, kidney failure and peripheral arterial disease(poor circulation in your legs). These problems can beavoided if your blood pressure is controlled.

Medication and high blood pressureFor most people with high blood pressure, tabletsprescribed by your doctor will reduce your bloodpressure to normal or healthy levels. Your doctor mayorganise further 24-hour blood presssure monitoringfor you after starting treatment to make sure thesenew tablets have brought your blood pressure downto normal.

The number and type of tablet varies from one personto the next, and depends on how the blood pressureresponds to the treatment.

Over half of adults in Ireland over 45years of age have high blood pressure.About 4 in every 5 men and 2 in every3 women with high blood pressure arenot being treated.



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What causes high blood pressure?There is often no single cause of high blood pressure.A number of factors combine to raise blood pressureand high blood pressure tends to run in families.

Being overweight, drinking too much alcohol, eatingtoo much sodium (found in salt) and not eatingenough fresh fruit and vegetables may lead to anincrease in blood pressure. As you grow older, yourblood pressure increases.

Contrary to popular opinion, high blood pressure isnot a disease of the nervous or highly strung person,nor is it caused by a stressful lifestyle. In a very smallnumber of people, there is a specific cause for highblood pressure, and removing the cause can producea ‘cure’. Your doctor will know when to look out forsigns of these rare conditions.

If you are over 30, you should have your bloodpressure checked at least every 5 years. If yourblood pressure is borderline high (around 140over 90), it should be checked more often byyour family doctor or practice nurse.



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What do I do to reduce high blood pressure?

Always take your tabletsIf you have been prescribed tablets for high bloodpressure, you will usually have to take them for life.Tablets that lower blood pressure prevent earlyageing of the blood vessels and heart and reduceyour risk of stroke.

Blood pressure tablets, in general, have few sideeffects, and usually after a month or so you will knowhow they suit you. If you find that a particular tabletdoesn’t suit you, or if you are reluctant to take anumber of tablets daily, do tell your family doctorrather than suffer in silence. Your doctor has theoption of switching you to a different type of tablet,or to one tablet which acts in a number of differentways. Sometimes the tablet will not control yourblood pressure; your doctor may then increase yourdose, add another tablet, or switch you to a differenttablet.

Do not stop taking theprescribed tablets.Evidence shows thattablets for high bloodpressure will reduce yourrisk of having a stroke.

A healthy lifestyle can help keep down blood pressurelevels. This is particularly important if you have beentold that you have high blood pressure.

Aim for a healthy weightKeep your weight at a level that is right for yourheight and build. If you are overweight or obese, evenlosing 10% of excess weight can help lower bloodpressure.



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A healthylifestyle can helpto keep downblood pressure

levels.

Eat less salt and more fruit and vegetablesIt is the sodium in salt which causes the problemsassociated with high blood pressure. All types of salt,including sea salt, iodised salt, garlic salt and onionsalt all contain sodium and so they have the sameeffect on your health as common table salt. Using lowsodium salt may mean you use more to get the saltytaste and therefore still consume the same amount ofsalt. The best advice is to use alternative flavourings.

To make sure that your blood pressure stays at ahealthy level, reduce the amount of salt you add toyour food at the table and eat less processed foodswhich are high in salt. Include more fresh vegetables,fruit and wholegrain cereals in your diet.

See our booklet ”Time to cut down on salt” formore information.



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Drink less alcoholSmall amounts of alcohol may provide someprotection against heart disease, but there is notenough evidence to recommend including alcohol aspart of a heart healthy diet. Drinking large amounts ofalcohol can increase blood pressure and may damagethe liver and heart.

If you do drink, spread your drinking over the week,keep some days alcohol-free and do not drink morethan the recommended upper limits:• For men 17 standard drinks a week.• For women 11 standard drinks a week.

Remember that alcohol is a drug and may be a risk forother health problems.



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Be more activeAll adults should aim to be physically active at amoderate intensity for at least 30 minutes 5 days aweek. Increasing activities to 60 minutes brings evengreater health benefits. Activities such as walking,cycling, swimming and dancing are all excellent andthe 30 to 60 minutes can be spread over two to threesessions in the day. An added bonus is that anyactivity, such as walking, reduces your risk of strokeand promotes heart health and relaxation. If you havevery high blood pressure, consult your doctor beforeyou start doing any form of activity.

Other risks for strokeSmoking and high blood pressure are two seriousfactors that can cause stroke and heart attack. Youcan greatly reduce this risk by immediately stoppingsmoking. There are now many aids available to helpyou stop and you can get advice from your familydoctor, pharmacist, local HSE office or you can phonethe National Smokers’Quitline at 1850 201 203. If youare not ready to stop smoking, try to reduce thenumber of cigarettes you smoke and plan to quit.

High cholesterol is often associated with high bloodpressure. If you have high blood pressure you shouldhave your cholesterol checked by your doctor. Eatingless fat and fatty foods as well as lots of fruit andvegetables will help keep your cholesterol at a healthylevel.

Diabetes can also be associated with high bloodpressure and your doctor will test your urine (orblood) for sugar.

The more cardiovascular risk factors you have, thegreater the urgency in getting your blood pressurecontrolled. This is also the case for people with ahistory of a heart attack or stroke.



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Check your blood pressureThe only way to know if you have high blood pressureis to have it measured. Have your blood pressurechecked regularly by your family doctor and ask whatyour blood pressure reading is. If it is high, you shoulddiscuss with your doctor how best to bring it down tonormal as soon as possible. If you are prescribedtablets for high blood pressure, always take themas prescribed and never stop taking your tabletswithout telling your doctor.

Low blood pressureIf your blood pressure drops when you stand up,making you feel dizzy or faint, this is called posturalhypotension (low blood pressure). If this happens, youshould tell your doctor and have your blood pressuretaken when you are standing up. These symptoms canbe made worse by blood pressure tablets.

What is a stroke?A stroke occurs when a blood vessel, which iscarrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain,bursts or is blocked by a clot. This causes aninterruption of the blood supply to part of thebrain. This can damage or destroy brain cellswhich will affect body functions.

For example, if a stroke damages the part of thebrain that controls limb movement, a person’sability to move an arm or leg may be affected.A stroke can also affect mental processes such ashow people feel, think, communicate, or learn.

www.stroke.ie



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Please make a donation todayThe Irish Heart Foundation is Ireland’s national charitydedicated to the reduction of death and disability fromheart disease and stroke. Over 93% of our funding comesfrom public and business donations. We depend on yourgoodwill and generosity to continue our work.

If you found this booklet useful, please help ourcharity to continue to provide heart & stroke

information by donating today.

You can make your donation today:By post: Irish Heart Foundation,

50 Ringsend Road, Dublin 4Online: www.irishheart.ieBy phone: 01 6685001

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* If you donate €250 in one year (or €21 a month) we can claim an extra 45%on your donation from the Revenue at no cost to you.

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The Irish Heart Foundation is committed to best practice in fundraising andadheres to the statement of guiding principles for fundraising promotingtransparency, honesty and accountability. Any personal information you

provide will be held in accordance with the Data ProtectionActs 1988 and 2003.


Irish Heart Foundation17-19 Rathmines Road Lower, Dublin 6.


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SEPA Direct Debit MandateUnique Mandate Reference:Creditor Identifier: IE02ZZZ306322

By signing this mandate form, you authorise (A) the Irish Heart Foundation to sendinstructions to your bank to debit your account and (B) your bank to debit youraccount in accordance with the instruction from the Irish Heart Foundation.

As part of your rights, you are entitled to a refund from your bank under the termsand conditions of your agreement with your bank. A refund must be claimedwithin 8 weeks starting from the date on which you account was debited. Yourrights are explained in a statement that you can obtain from your bank.

Please complete all the fields below marked*

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Creditor Name: IRISH HEART FOUNDATION

Creditor Address: 50 RINGSEND ROAD, DUBLIN 4, IRELAND

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Please return completed form to the Irish Heart Foundation.

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*A regular gift of €21 per month could be worth an additional €9 From the RevenueCommissioners per month at no extra cost to you. You will be notified in writing 7 days inadvance of your first direct debit. If you wish to cancel within 7 days of a direct debit paymentplease contact your own bank after.

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Do you need a postal receipt: Yes No

Registered Charity Number: CHY 5507Source Code: APP00248


17-19 RATHMINES ROAD LOWER, DUBLIN 6


Irish Heart Foundation,50 Ringsend Road, Dublin 4

Phone: +353 1 668 5001Fax: +353 1 668 5896Email: [email protected]

Heart and Stroke Helpline:Locall 1890 432 787Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm

Web:www.irishheart.iewww.stroke.ie

Funding:The Irish Heart Foundation is the national charityfighting heart disease and stroke and relies oncharitable donations for 93 per cent of its funding.We support, educate and train people to save lives,campaign for patients, promote positive healthstrategies, support research and provide vital publicinformation. We need your support - throughdonations, as a volunteer or on our training courses.

The information provided by the Irish HeartFoundation in this booklet was correct andaccurate at the time of publication to thebest of the charity’s knowledge.

Registered Charity Number CHY 5507HPUT00375

Published by the Irish HeartFoundation in 2013. For moreinformation, contact the IrishHeart Foundation or yourlocal HSE office:


Irish Heart Foundation17-19 Rathmines Road Lower, Dublin 6.

Irish Heart Foundation,50 Ringsend Road, Dublin 4

Phone: +353 1 668 5001Fax: +353 1 668 5896Email: [email protected]

Heart and Stroke Helpline:Locall 1890 432 787Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm

Web:www.irishheart.iewww.stroke.ie

Funding:The Irish Heart Foundation is the national charityfighting heart disease and stroke and relies oncharitable donations for 93 per cent of its funding.We support, educate and train people to save lives,campaign for patients, promote positive healthstrategies, support research and provide vital publicinformation. We need your support - throughdonations, as a volunteer or on our training courses.

The information provided by the Irish HeartFoundation in this booklet was correct andaccurate at the time of publication to thebest of the charity’s knowledge.

Registered Charity Number CHY 5507HPUT00375

Published by the Irish HeartFoundation in 2013. For moreinformation, contact the IrishHeart Foundation or yourlocal HSE office:

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