Health Tip of the Week: Heart health and blood pressure

Heart disease is the cause of one-third of all deaths and one in five premature deaths in Ireland. About 10,000 people die each year from cardiovascular disease – including coronary heart disease, stroke and other circulatory diseases.

Every hour in Ireland someone suffers from a stroke, and every day hundreds of Irish people are diagnosed with heart disease, but, fortunately, 80 per cent of this disease is preventable, and a few simple steps can help to minimise your risk of heart disease and stroke.

These include being active, with 30 minutes of moderate activity five times a week; eating plenty of fruit and vegetables; keeping weight down; quitting smoking; having regular blood pressure and cholesterol checks; reducing stress; and being aware of family history.

Dr Angie Brown, medical director of the Irish Heart Foundation, says keeping a check on blood pressure is vitally important. "High blood pressure is referred to as a silent killer, as it's often asymptomatic, but it increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, kidney failure and dementia," she says.

“A normal blood pressure is below 140/90mmHg – but it goes up with ageing and obesity, while some people have genetic predisposition, and some metabolic and endocrine conditions can also cause high BP – but can be treated.

“In some people, modification of lifestyle – cutting down on salt and alcohol, having more vegetables, fish and chicken, with less processed food, more exercise and some weight loss – can lead to a reduction in BP. But many people need medication, so it’s important to have a regular BP check to ensure it’s normal and remains normal over time.”

Pfizer has just launched its Healthy Town programme for 2018 in Wexford. Over the coming weeks, residents of the town will get the opportunity to learn how to look after their heart health and how to recognise the signs of something serious.

The cardiac consultant says it is very important to know the symptoms of heart attack, as speed is often of the essence when it comes to recovery or even saving a life in the event of a cardiac arrest.

“The main signs to look out for are chest pain; upper body pain in the jaw, back, neck or arms; shortness of breath; sweating; nausea; light-headedness; loss of consciousness; tiredness; and weakness,” Brown says.

Health Tip of the Week is sponsored by Pfizer as partof its HealthyTown initiative. Every year Pfizer selects a town to take part in a unique initiative aimed at showing you – no matter what age you are, or where you live – simple steps to improve your health; irishtimes.com/sponsored/healthy-town. For more information visit irishheart.ie