World Hypertension Day 2023

World Hypertension Day is a day that helps people understand the dangers of high blood pressure. It happens every year on May 17. The goal is to make sure that people know how to prevent and control high blood pressure. It was started in 2005 by a group of organizations that work to prevent high blood pressure around the world.

This year, the theme is "Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer." It is important to keep track of your blood pressure to stay healthy.

In Jamaica, the National Health Fund is celebrating its 20th anniversary by doing 20,000 blood pressure screenings across the country. This will help people learn about the importance of monitoring blood pressure, living a healthy lifestyle, and getting treatment early if needed.

Hypertension is also known as high blood pressure. It happens when the blood in your body pushes too hard against the walls of your blood vessels. This can cause problems over time. It is important to manage hypertension because it can lead to serious health problems like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and vision loss.

You can manage hypertension by making changes to your lifestyle like exercising, losing weight, and reducing salt in your diet. You may also need medication to help. Checking your blood pressure regularly is important to make sure it stays under control.

Hypertension affects approximately 25 percent of the Jamaican population.  The condition has the highest number of enrolments under the NHF Card programme, with more than 432-thousand persons registered.

 

 

 

 

What is hypertension:

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, happens when the force of blood in your body is too strong. Your body has tubes called arteries that move blood from your heart to the rest of your body. When your blood pressure is too high, it can hurt your arteries and make it harder for your heart to move blood around.

Hypertension doesn't usually have any signs, so it's called a "silent killer." But if it's not treated, it can lead to serious health problems like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and eye problems.

The good news is that you can often manage hypertension by doing things like exercising, losing weight, and eating less salt. Sometimes, you may need medicine too.

It's important to keep track of your blood pressure so you can make sure it's not too high.

 

How to prevent hypertension:

To prevent hypertension or high blood pressure, you need to make healthy choices. Here are some things you can do:

1. Stay at a healthy weight by eating healthy foods and exercising regularly.
2. Exercise regularly by doing activities that make your heart beat faster, like walking or jogging. You should try to do at least 30 minutes daily.
3. Eat healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy. Avoid foods that are high in salt, fat, and sugar.
4. Don't drink too much alcohol. Women should have no more than one drink a day, and men should have no more than two drinks a day.
5. Manage stress by doing things like meditation, yoga, or deep breathing.
6. Don't smoke because it can hurt your blood vessels and increase blood pressure.
7. Check your blood pressure regularly to make sure it's not too high.

By doing these things, you can help prevent hypertension and keep your body healthy.

 

  

 

Who is at risk of getting hypertension:

Some people are more likely to get hypertension, which is when your blood pressure is too high.

Here are some things that can make you more likely to get hypertension:

• Getting older: The older you get, the higher your chances of getting hypertension.
• Family history: If people in your family have had hypertension, you might be more likely to get it too.
• Being male: Males are more likely to get hypertension before they're 55 years old.
• Being from certain ethnic groups: Some groups of people, like Black, Hispanic, and Asian people, are more likely to get hypertension.
• Being too heavy: If you're carrying too much weight, you might be more likely to get hypertension.
• Eating unhealthy food: Eating foods with too much salt, fat, and sugar can make you more likely to get hypertension.
• Not moving enough: If you don't exercise or move around enough, you might be more likely to get hypertension.
• Smoking: Smoking can hurt your blood vessels and make you more likely to get hypertension.
• Being very stressed: If you're very stressed for a long time, you may be more likely to get hypertension.

It's important to know these things and do what you can to keep yourself healthy.

You can do this by eating healthy foods, moving your body, not smoking, and finding ways to feel less stressed.

How to prevent hypertension:

To prevent hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, you must make healthy choices. Here are some things you can do:

1. Keep a healthy weight: Being overweight can make you more likely to have hypertension. You can lose weight by eating healthy foods and exercising.
2. Exercise regularly: Doing physical activities often can help make your blood pressure lower and make your heart healthy. Try to do at least 30 minutes of exercise every week.
3. Eat healthy foods: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, and low-fat dairy can help make your blood pressure lower. Try to stay away from foods that have a lot of salt, fats, and added sugars.
4. Don't drink too much alcohol: Drinking a lot of alcohol can make your blood pressure higher. If you are a woman, only have one drink each day, and if you are a man, have no more than two drinks each day.
5. Manage stress: Stress that goes on for a long time can make you more likely to have hypertension. You can try things like yoga or deep breathing to help make your blood pressure lower.
6. Don't smoke: Smoking can hurt your blood vessels and make your blood pressure higher. Quitting smoking can help make your blood pressure lower and help your health better.
7. Get your blood pressure checked regularly: This can help find any problems early and help you get the right help. By doing these healthy things, you can help stop hypertension and make sure you don't have other health issues.

 

 

 

Effects of untreated hypertension

If you don't treat hypertension, or high blood pressure, it can be really bad for your health. Here are some things that could happen:

• Your heart and blood vessels could be damaged, which may lead to heart attacks, strokes, or other heart problems.
• Your kidneys may not work as well as they should, or they could even stop working altogether.
• Your eyes could have problems, which may make it hard for you to see or even make you blind.
• You may have trouble thinking or remembering things as you get older.
• You may have trouble with sex.
• You may have trouble sleeping because of a condition called sleep apnea.
• If you're pregnant, you could have problems with your pregnancy or your baby.

Overall, untreated hypertension could make you very sick. That's why it's important to check your blood pressure often and see a doctor if it's too high. The doctor can give you medicine to lower your blood pressure and help you stay healthy.