SIMPLE QUESTIONS

Is high blood pressure life-threatening?

Since you generally won’t feel any symptoms from having a raised blood pressure it is easy to ignore it and hard to imagine that it is doing you any harm. However, high blood pressure is called ‘the silent killer’ for a reason and, as scary as it sounds, untreated high blood pressure puts you at a greater risk of developing heart or kidney disease, or suffering a stroke later in life. Heart disease and stroke are the biggest killers in most countries today. The good news is that high blood pressure can be managed and controlled effectively. Adopting lifestyle changes and/or taking appropriate drug therapy can dramatically reduce your blood pressure and hugely reduce your risk of life-threatening events.