hypertension is an 'on-ramp' to stroke: lack of awareness is putting canadians at risk
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beyond age and family history, there are causes for high blood pressure that can be addressed. getty
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hypertension, or high blood pressure, usually develops with no warning signs — it’s the reason for its moniker, the ‘silent killer.’ it can quietly damage your body for years before symptoms even surface. the condition is the leading risk factor for stroke and a significant risk factor for heart disease. and even more troubling is that the incidence of hypertension is on the rise, according to a new heart & stroke survey.
the numbers are grim: almost eight million adults in canada — about one in four people — are affected by high blood pressure. that statistic will balloon as the population ages since the risk of hypertension increases with age and people are diagnosed earlier. plus, the financial implications are not insignificant: heart & stroke says the annual cost linked to high blood pressure already sits at $13.9 billion.
knowledge gap
the survey involved almost 1,000 health experts across the country who identified a lack of awareness, prevention, detection and treatment as key areas needing improvement in the treatment of hypertension.
“what our survey is really telling us, that we’re starting to get a little bit alarmed about, is just the fact that there still remains this gap in terms of public knowledge and in terms of our ability to diagnose, manage, work with our patients to help to treat their high blood pressure in order to prevent those adverse health outcomes,” dr. dylan blacquiere, stroke neurologist at the ottawa hospital, told global news.
more than seven in 10 health professionals report that not only do people not understand hypertension or its associated risks, they also don’t realize when they develop high blood pressure because typically there are no warning signs.
“it really isn’t until somebody has a dramatic event like a stroke, for example, that they realize that their blood pressure is even high in the first place,” blacquiere said.
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how should we support people with hypertension?
to support people with hypertension or those who are at risk of developing the condition, the experts identified access to regular care and followup, routine blood pressure screening, and universal access to medication, including medication for hypertension.
“hypertension is like an on-ramp to stroke and heart disease, so we have a tremendous opportunity here to catch people before they are too far down that road by raising awareness, supporting prevention, and improving access to screening and management,” patrice lindsay, director of health systems for heart & stroke, said in a news release.
“if we can prevent high blood pressure or manage it through changes to lifestyle and medication, we can dramatically reduce stroke and heart disease.”
lindsay’s thoughts echo those of advocacy group hypertension canada, that beyond age and family history, there are causes for high blood pressure that can be addressed, including unhealthy diet, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, excess alcohol consumption and poorly managed health conditions like diabetes. the organization, which also provides resources for health-care professionals to help educate patients about hypertension and managing the condition, reports declining rates of hypertension control in women age 60 and older, and recommends regular blood pressure measuring to track your numbers and making important lifestyle changes to reduce the risks.
ways to manage high blood pressure
shifts in lifestyle, such as adding exercise and improving diet, can be beneficial to managing hypertension — even if it is resistant to medication — according to research by duke university medical center, which showed that dietary counselling, behavioural weight management and exercise in a cardiac rehab facility significantly reduced blood pressure and improved cardiovascular disease biomarkers.
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awareness and action are a powerful combination in preventing hypertension
heather evans had her first two heart attacks at age 39, and has since learned how to manage her heart disease over the last 19 years, she told heart & stroke. controlling high blood pressure is paramount, so she takes prescribed medication and measures her blood pressure regularly. other important steps are managing stress, avoiding salt and caffeine, eating plenty of vegetables and fruit, and working out several times a week.
“i changed all those things for blood pressure,” she said. “it’s a big part of heart disease, a huge part.”
karen hawthorne is a toronto-based writer.
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