Hypertension

What is Hypertension?

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, refers to blood pressure (BP) that is higher than normal.

For  example,  if  your  BP  is  120/80,  the  systolic  BP  is  120mmHg  and the diastolic BP is 80mmHg. You have hypertension if your systolic BP is 140mmHg or more, or your diastolic BP is 90mmHg or more, or both (mmHg is millimetres of mercury, a measure of pressure).

High blood pressure can lead to high risk of suffering from other health problems like heart attack, heart failure, coronary heart disease, kidney failure, peripheral artery disease, and stroke.

Symptoms

Headaches or dizziness may arise when severe, but these symptoms may be due to other problems. Usually, hypertension is not accompanied bysymptoms. Hence, it is important to regularly monitor blood pressure levels.

Risk

Hypertension is a fairly common problem among adults in Singapore. Slightly less than 1 in 4 Singapore residents aged 30 to 69 years have hypertension. The older you are, the more likely you are to have hypertension. In the 60 to 69 years age group, more than 1 in 2 residents are diagnosed with hypertension.

• Poor lifestyle habits such as a lack of exercise and unhealthy diets (for example, high salt consumption)

• Overweight or obese based on body mass index (BMI)

• Suffer from diabetes

• Smoking

• Suffer from high blood cholesterol

  
  

Management

• Seek help from a medical professional to discuss personal targets for blood pressure levels

• Regularly check blood pressure at home, to better manage your hypertension

• Engage in physical activity: Exercise for 150 minutes per week, each time at least 10 minutes

• Maintain a healthy weight based on BMI

• Have a healthy diet: limit sodium, fat, and cholesterol intake. Increase fibre intake

• Limit alcohol intake 

• No smoking

• Manage stress

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Written by: Goh Ting Wei | Designed by: Tan Khai Teng | Edited by: Jonathan Kuek