Lloyds Pharmacy Heart Health Pledge
Calls for more regular blood pressure monitoring
Blood Pressure UK supports Lloyds Pharmacy Heart Health Pledge
Just one in ten people in Britain most fear developing heart disease over other health conditions despite it being the leading cause of death in the UK.
The findings from a nationwide study by Lloydspharmacy, who are supporting Blood Pressure UK for National Heart Month, show many people are failing to take some of the biggest heart disease risk factors seriously – 38% admitted they never check their blood pressure and 59% never check their cholesterol levels.
Heart disease is now by far the biggest cause of death among women in the UK, accounting for three times as many deaths as breast cancer, yet the research showed that just 15% of women check their blood pressure regularly, a stark contrast to over half (54%) ensuring they check their breasts and 64% attending regular cervical smear tests. Just over a third (35%) of men check their testicles for signs of testicular cancer every month, and just one in five (20%) check their blood pressure.
To help the nation take control of their heart health Lloydspharmacy has launched an online heart health calculator which shows your potential risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) over the next ten years, and then offers advice on simple steps to reduce it.
Blood Pressure UK is backing the heart health assessment service. Professor MacGregor Chairman of Blood Pressure UK said: “A lot of people think they don’t need to worry about their blood pressure until later in life, but high blood pressure can affect you at any age. It’s often dubbed the ‘silent killer’ due to lack of symptoms – but if ignored it can be very dangerous, so it’s vital to have your blood pressure checked regularly.”