Tomorrow, 17 May 2016, will mark World Hypertension Day.
Worldwide approximately 4 in 10 adults older than 25 years have hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. This means that nearly 1 billion people have hypertension. It is estimated that only 50% of these people are aware of their condition and, of these, only half take action to control their blood pressure.
In South Africa 1 in 3 adults have hypertension. This makes South Africa one of the countries with the highest rates of hypertension worldwide.
In the Western Cape approximately 1200 new cases of hypertension are diagnosed monthly.
Most people do not exhibit any symptoms though in some cases hypertension has been known to cause headaches, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pains, palpitations of the heart and nose bleeds.
Uncontrolled hypertension can lead to a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and damage to eyesight.
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation SA, about 130 heart attacks and 240 strokes occur daily in South Africa. This means that 10 people will suffer a stroke and five people will have a heart attack every hour.
If hypertension is detected early it is possible to minimize the risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke and kidney failure. Individuals who already have hypertension can manage their condition.
Members of our communities must take ownership of their health by embracing healthy lifestyle and also go for regular check-ups at their local health facility.
We also encourage communities to take part in activities such as the Western Cape on Welllness (WOW!) project, to increase their personal fitness and help build a healthy, resilient and wellness conscious society.
Prevention is always better than cure. Making small changes to your lifestyle can result in big health benefits.
Healthy living tips that you can use to improve your health and prevent hypertension:
• Reduce your salt intake to no more than 1 teaspoon (5g) of salt a day
• Enjoy a variety of fruits and vegetables, and aim to have at least 5 servings a day.
• Choose whole grain and high fibre foods.
• Limit unhealthy saturated and trans fats, found in fatty and processed meats, chicken skin, full-cream dairy products, butter, ghee, cream and hard cheeses, commercially baked goods such as pies, pastries, biscuits and crackers, fast foods and deep-fried potato/slap chips.
• Eat healthier unsaturated fats such as sunflower / canola / olive oil, soft tub margarines, peanut butter, nuts and seeds, avocado or fish. Try to include fatty fish (sardines, pilchards, salmon, mackerel) at least twice a week.
• Eat small, regular meals.
• Increasing your level of physical activity does not mean having to join a gym or a sports group! There are lots of physical activities that are free, healthy and could be fun! For example, walking with your family and/or dog, dancing at home, avoiding lifts and taking the stairs instead, swimming and, gardening.
• Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate (e.g. fast walking) to vigorous (e.g. jogging) activity at least 4-5 days per week. You can accumulate those 30 minutes in bits of 10 minutes throughout the day.
• Or 150 minutes (2 and a half hours) per week in order to reduce your risk of a number of chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.
• If you would like to achieve a higher level of fitness, or would like to lose weight, then more physical activity is needed to achieve these goals, aiming for 300 minutes (5 hours) per week.
• Try to avoid using alcohol, and if you drink alcohol, limit your intake.
5) Managing stress and striving for a good night’s sleep.
6) Have your blood pressure and glucose levels checked at least once a year and more often if you have a family history of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
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