High blood pressure if left untreated can lead to chronic diseases, said Dr Muhammad Nawaz Lashari, a cardiologist at Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) on Friday.
He was speaking at a health awareness programme organised by the varsity on its campus.
Speakers at the conference pointed out that hypertension is often referred to as a `silent killer’ and about seven million people die every year globally because of hypertension.
Lifestyle changes are recommended to lower blood pressure, maintain normal body weight, reduce dietary sodium intake, engage in regular aerobic physical activity such as brisk walking, reduce content of saturated and total fats, consume a diet rich in fruit and vegetables.
Lashari stated that it is very important to take prescribed medication on regular basis.
He said that blood pressure involves two measurements – systolic and diastolic. The normal blood pressure at rest is within the range of 100-140mmHg systolic (top reading) and 60-90mmHg diastolic (bottom reading).
The blood pressure is high if it remains persistently at or above 140/90 mmHg.
Many factors including stress, obesity, smoking, sheesha smoking, social and economic problems may lead to hypertension. Most of the time, there are no symptoms, but when high blood pressure goes untreated, it may cause stroke, heart attacks, heart failure, chronic kidney disease and diabetes.
Changes in the lifestyle were recommended to lower blood pressures, maintain normal body weight, reduce dietary sodium intake, engage in regular aerobic physical activity such as brisk walking, reduce content of saturated and total fats, consume a diet rich in fruit and vegetables.
It is very important to take prescribed medication on regular basis, Lashari added.