Cape Town council urges residents to keep track of their blood pressure
Ahead of World Hypertension Day on May 17, the City of Cape Town is urging residents to get their blood pressure checked.
CAPE TOWN, May 13 (ANA) – Ahead of World Hypertension Day next Monday, the City of Cape Town is urging residents to get their blood pressure checked regularly.
In a statement on Thursday, mayoral committee member for community services and health Zahid Badroodien said high blood pressure was responsible for 50 percent of all strokes and two in five heart attacks in South Africa.
The Cape Town health sector screened 421,888 people for hypertension over a 12-month period ending in March, out of which 2,727 new cases were diagnosed and just under 50,000 people were required to make follow-up visits to their local clinics.
Hypertension is generally known as the silent killer and can strike quite unexpectedly.
“South Africa faces an uphill battle with lifestyle diseases, including hypertension. We have seen an exponential rise in high blood pressure cases over the last two decades, with one in three of our population living with the disease,” Badroodien said.
“Apart from the risks of heart attacks and strokes, uncontrolled high blood pressure can also lead to heart failure, kidney failure, visual impairment and blindness and peripheral vascular disease, which can cause gangrene and amputation of limbs.”
He urged residents to ascertain their status, know the risk factors and implement lifestyle changes to mitigate those factors, along with taking their medication regularly.
Risk factors for hypertension include family history, diabetes or strokes, obesity, ethnicity, a sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure during pregnancy and a poor diet with excess alcohol, sugar and salt.
Badroodien said Cape Town’s clinics offered routine blood pressure screening at every visit and urged residents to join the city’s Live Well Challenge programme.
“A healthy diet and a healthy heartbeat go hand in hand. Give your undivided attention to this disease that comes without any symptoms; check your blood pressure today and start the journey towards a longer, healthier life,” he urged.
– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa
