Join our free Well being Verify electronic mail to obtain unique evaluation on the week in healthGet our free Well being Verify emailMillions of individuals are being urged to get checks for a situation which has been described because the “silent killer”.If left untreated, hypertension can result in coronary heart assaults, strokes, kidney illness and vascular dementia.As much as 4.2 million folks in England are considered dwelling with hypertension with out understanding it – round a 3rd of all these with the situation.Now, a brand new NHS Get Your Blood Stress Checked marketing campaign has been launched, backed by well being charities, to warn folks the situation typically has no signs.England’s chief medical officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, mentioned: “Hypertension normally has no signs however can result in severe well being penalties.“The one technique to know you probably have hypertension is to get a easy, non-invasive blood stress take a look at.“Even if you’re identified, the excellent news is that it’s normally simply treatable.“Getting your blood stress checked at a neighborhood pharmacy is free, fast and also you don’t even want an appointment, so please go for a test in the present day – it may save your life.”Blood stress is measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg) and is given as two figures.The “high” quantity is the systolic stress, which measures the stress when the center pushes blood out.The “backside” quantity is the diastolic stress, which measures the stress when the center rests between beats.Usually, ideally suited blood stress is taken into account to be between 90 over 60 and 120 over 80.Hypertension is taken into account to be 140 over 90 or increased.Issues that may improve your danger of getting excessive blood pressureAccording to The NHSYou could be extra in danger in case you:are overweighteat an excessive amount of salt and don’t eat sufficient fruit and vegetablesdo not do sufficient exercisedrink an excessive amount of alcohol or espresso (or different caffeine-based drinks)smokehave loads of stressare over 65 years oldhave a relative with excessive blood pressureare of black African or Black Caribbean descentlive in a disadvantaged areaTreatment for hypertension consists of life-style adjustments, comparable to reducing down salt and taking extra train, in addition to ACE inhibitors or angiotensin-2 receptor blockers (ARBs).Broadcaster Gloria Hunniford, who’s backing the brand new marketing campaign, mentioned: “This marketing campaign could be very near my coronary heart – each my husband and my father sadly suffered from quite a few strokes because of hypertension, so I do know from private expertise simply how vital it’s to get your blood stress checked, even in case you really feel wholesome.“That’s why I’m so happy to listen to that pharmacies supply free, fast blood stress checks for folks aged 40 and over – fortunately, this actually will save lives.”A GP checking a affected person’s blood stress (Anthony Devlin/PA Wire)Well being minister, Andrea Leadsom, mentioned the NHS has expanded its providing to incorporate 2.5 million extra blood stress checks inside native pharmacies.“Figuring out you probably have a wholesome blood stress is so vital and this new drive will assist to forestall the doubtless deadly penalties of untreated hypertension,” she mentioned.“I urge folks to go to their native pharmacy in the present day to get their blood stress checked. It may very well be a lifesaving journey.”A ballot of greater than 2,000 folks aged 40 and over to help the marketing campaign discovered that 41% of individuals are unaware that, if left untreated, hypertension can result in coronary heart illness.Greater than a fifth (22%) had been unaware it will possibly trigger strokes and coronary heart assaults.The marketing campaign is backed by charities together with the British Coronary heart Basis, the Stroke Affiliation, Coronary heart Analysis UK and Blood Stress UK.Round one in three adults are thought to undergo hypertension, with round three in 10 of these undiagnosed (4.2 million folks in England).Former footballer Graeme Souness can be backing the marketing campaign.He mentioned: “It’s so vital to get your blood stress checked – in my expertise, hypertension doesn’t solely have an effect on the ‘standard suspects’, it will possibly and does have an effect on anybody, so you would be in danger with out understanding it.“I’ve had hypertension for years however have been capable of handle it with a routine of wholesome consuming, common health and common blood stress checks.”