Blood pressure
In France, nearly 1 adult out of 3 suffers from high blood pressure, and half of them do not know it¹. It is the most frequent chronic pathology and one of the main factors responsible for cardiovascular diseases and kidney failure (nearly 12 million patients treated in France in 2017²)
According to the World Health Organization, 62% of strokes worldwide are attributed to high blood pressure.
What is blood pressure?
To function normally, organs need a good blood supply. The heart acts as a pump, circulating blood through the arteries to the organs to supply them with oxygen and energy. Blood pressure is simply the pressure of the blood on the artery walls. It is measured with two values:
- When the heart contracts, it pushes blood through the arteries, this is called systolic pressure (systole meaning contraction in Greek).
- When the heart relaxes, the pressure of the blood on the wall of the arteries is residual, it is called diastolic pressure (diastole meaning expansion in Greek).
Why is it important to measure your blood pressure?
It is normal for blood pressure to vary during the day under the influence of physical activity, emotion, fatigue, stress.... Thus, at rest or during sleep, blood pressure is lower than during the day when the body is active.
On the other hand, in people with high blood pressure, the blood pressure remains abnormally high, even at rest: this is called hypertension. If it is not diagnosed and treated, it will progressively degrade the artery walls, exhaust the heart muscle and eventually cause serious cardiac (heart attack, heart failure, arrhythmia), neurological (stroke) or renal (renal failure) complications.
High blood pressure is called "silent" because it is usually not accompanied by any symptoms. Unfortunately, it is often detected at the onset of diseases related to this hypertension or by chance, during a routine medical examination. It is estimated that 4 to 5 million French people have undiagnosed hypertension.
It is therefore essential to measure your blood pressure regularly.
When is high blood pressure?
Hypertension is defined as high blood pressure when:
- The systolic pressure measurement (pressure induced by the contraction of the heart) is above 140 mmHg and/or :
- The diastolic pressure measurement (when the heart is relaxed) does not go below 90 mmHg.
- These measurements are seen repeatedly and persist.
What causes high blood pressure?
The causes can be multiple: obesity, overconsumption of salt and fat, physical inactivity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, stress.... Other factors should also be taken into account, such as family history or aging (blood pressure increases with age).
What to do if you have high blood pressure?
It is important to monitor and treat high blood pressure to prevent the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney damage, and other health problems.
The World Health Organization recommends:
- Measure your blood pressure regularly with a pharmacy blood pressure monitor.
- Treat high blood pressure (with dietary measures or medication if necessary).
- Reduce salt intake (to less than 5 g per day).
- Eat more fruits and vegetables.
- Get regular physical activity.
- Avoiding tobacco and alcohol consumption.
- Limit consumption of foods high in saturated fats (animal fats).
Why take your blood pressure at home?
When taking blood pressure at the doctor's office, some patients are victims of the white coat effect (a stress related to the situation of anxiety experienced). The result of the measurement may then be affected by this stressful situation.
A measurement at a point in time does not always reflect a patient's blood pressure level, as it is not stable throughout the day. It is therefore advisable to measure your blood pressure at home, in your familiar surroundings and in a calm environment. This home measurement is often suggested by the medical profession to confirm a diagnosis of hypertension or to monitor the effectiveness of a treatment.
Similarly, people who have suffered from cardiovascular disorders, the main consequence of hypertension, should monitor their blood pressure. The French National Authority for Health recommends taking an average of 3 measurements in the morning before breakfast and taking medication and 3 measurements before bedtime for 3 days in a row ("rule of 3").
Precitech has designed a wrist blood pressure monitor and an arm blood pressure monitor to accompany you on a daily basis.
¹L’hypertension artérielle en France : prévalence, traitement et contrôle en 2015 et évolutions depuis 2006 – 02.09.2018
²Ameli : https://www.ameli.fr/assure/sante/themes/hypertension-arterielle-hta
³SantépubliqueFrance : https://www.santepubliquefrance.fr/maladies-et-traumatismes/maladies-cardiovasculaires-et-accident-vasculaire-cerebral/hypertension-arterielle/la-maladie/#tabs
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