Have you got high blood pressure?

MORE than 23,000 people in Warrington have high blood pressure and don’t know it.
As a result, the borough council’s public health team is advising people to spend five minutes at the Wellpoint Health Kiosk to their blood pressure checked.
The kiosk is moving around the borough and residents are being encouraged to use it to find out if they have a healthy blood pressure or whether they need to seek medical advice.
They can also find out their heart age, BMI and body fat composition.
The kiosk is available at the following locations:
*Orford Community Hub, Festival Avenue, June 2–15.
*Fearnhead Cross Community and Youth Centre, Insall Road, June 16–29.
The kiosk has been available at various locations for members of the public to use since October.
Statistics at the end of April show that more than 1,500 people have used the kiosk and, of these, 27 per cent had high blood pressure.
The results also show that 67 per cent of users were either overweight or obese, and 45 per cent had a higher heart age than their actual age.
Cllr Maureen McLaughlin, the borough council’s lead member for public health and wellbeing, said: “High blood pressure can often go unnoticed as it doesn’t cause visible symptoms and it puts you at risk of serious
conditions such as heart disease and stroke.
“High blood pressure doesn’t always have to be managed with medication – sometimes a change in diet or simply doing a bit more exercise can help. Don’t delay – get your blood pressure checked today.”
For more information about blood pressure, visit warrington.gov.uk/bloodpressure