High blood pressure, a “silent killer”
9.4 million people die in the world due to complications arising from high blood pressure, a disorder that generally does not show any symptoms during the first years.
Most people who suffer from hypertension or high blood pressure do not have any symptoms, but it causes approximately half of all the deaths due to strokes or heart attacks in the world, according to the world Health Organisation. In Spain, high blood pressure is a very widespread pathology: 42.6% of the Spanish population suffers from it and 37.4% have not been diagnosed, as indicated by the study Di@bet.es published in the Spanish Cardiology Magazine (Revista Española de Cardiología..
Hypertension occurs when blood pressure levels are high in a continuous or sustained manner. If this is not controlled, it may cause a loss of elasticity in the arteries, hypertrophy and dilation of the heart, strokes and kidney or eye lesions. In 95% of the cases, the origin of what is called primary or essential high blood pressure is unknown and in a low percentage of cases, it is caused by another disease.
A person may be hypertensive without knowing it, which is the reason for the importance of carrying out checkups, particularly from the age of 40 or 45 years. In many cases, high blood pressure is diagnosed before there are any symptoms and many patients do not follow the treatment. A balanced diet, daily exercise and periodic checkups can help us to keep our blood pressure under control. Stopping smoking, limiting alcohol intake and managing stress healthily way also help.
