FREE blood pressure tests will be available at the main entrance of Warrington Hospital tomorrow (Friday) – as a precursor to “Know Your Blood Pressure Day” on Saturday.
Members of the Warrington branch of The Stroke Association will be outside the hospital between 12 noon and 2pm offering the checks.
They stress that the checks could lead to lives being saved.
The Stroke Association is running a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of people not knowing their blood pressure.
“Know your blood pressure Day” will focus on the importance of everyone knowing their blood pressure and making sure it is measured regularly.
Blood pressure is the pressure placed on the body’s blood vessels by circulating blood. Because circulation varies throughout the day, depending on whether a person is resting or being active, the blood pressure also varies. If blood pressure is consistently high or low it’s a sign that there could be an underlying health problem that is affecting the pressure of blood circulating around the body.
There are a range of measures people can take to reduce the chances of high blood pressure and therefore the chance of having a stroke.
These include giving up smoking, cutting back on alcohol, eating a balanced diet including fruit and vegetables, reducing salt intake, exercising more and reducing stress levels.
Every year, an estimated 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke – one every five minutes. It is the largest single cause of severe disability in England and Wales, with more than 250,000 people affected at any one time.
Jane Guy, family carer and support at Warrington’s branch of the Stroke Association said: “For every 10 people who die of stroke, four could have been saved if they had arranged regular blood pressure measurements and then followed medical advice. It is vitally important that people make an appointment with their GP practice to have their blood pressure measured regularly. High blood pressure often has no symptoms and this campaign aims to raise awareness of this silent killer and save lives.”
FREE blood pressure tests will be available at the main entrance of
Warrington Hospital tomorrow (Friday) - as a precursor to "Know Your
Blood Pressure Day" on Saturday.
Free blood pressure checks
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About Author
Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
