Blood Pressure
50% of heart attacks and strokes are associated with high blood pressure and 1 in 5 adults are thought to have the condition.
Hypertension is characterised by increased pressure in the blood vessels which puts the heart under strain and potentially damages other organs including the brain and kidneys. Thankfully, treatment of blood pressure with lifestyle modification and drug therapy significantly reduces the risk of both heart attacks and strokes.
Lifestyle changes such as smoking cessation, reducing alcohol intake and eating healthily including minimising salt intake can effectively reduce blood pressure independently of prescription drugs. Exercise and weight loss has also been found to be beneficial with a kg of weight loss roughly equating to a 1mmHg reduction in blood pressure.
All our memberships offer access to the following general services:
- Advice and support via email with named consultant
- Private Prescription amendments where required
- Access to introductory offers from our trusted nutritionists and personal trainers
What’s included
Our Hypertension Membership package includes the following:
Annual consultation with your named consultant in person or online – it’s your choice
ECG test – assesses your heart rhythm and looks for changes that may represent poorly controlled chronic hypertension
Echocardiogram (echo) – mmonitors cardiac function including whether there are changes to suggest that high blood pressure has caused the heart to stiffen and pump less effectively. One of the signs that may represent this is thickening of the wall of the heart (LVH – Left Ventricular Hypertrophy).
Ambulatory blood pressure monitor – gives an average blood pressure over 24 hours and assesses whether there are any spikes of high blood pressure or whether the blood pressure falls at night as would be expected.
Relevant blood tests – typically include checks on kidney, liver, thyroid function as well as checks on blood lipids and sugar.