You know your age. Do you know your numbers?
This year, Know Your Numbers! Week had a deliberately simple message: “You know your age, do you know your numbers?”
We wanted to challenge the idea that blood pressure is something to think about only when you are older or when you start to feel unwell.
Our national survey of 2,000 adults aged 18 to 50 showed why that message is needed.
83% said too many people wait until they feel unwell before having their blood pressure checked, yet only around half had actually been tested during the previous 12 months.
More worryingly, 21% wrongly believed people would usually know they had high blood pressure because they would feel ill, while 15% thought blood pressure checks were not relevant to adults under 40.
And even having a check does not necessarily mean people know their numbers. Almost half, 49% of those who had previously been tested, could not recall, even roughly, what their most recent reading was.
That must change.
High blood pressure often has no obvious signs or symptoms. Without diagnosis and treatment, it can silently damage the blood vessels and vital organs for years, increasing the risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, vascular dementia and premature death.
That is why we want people not simply to have a blood pressure check, but to know their reading, understand what it means and keep an eye on it over time.
If you already have high blood pressure, monitoring remains important too. Keep taking any prescribed medication as advised and speak to your healthcare professional if you are concerned about your readings.