Urgent warning to women – why you need to find out your blood pressure NOW
ALL women should know their own blood pressure to prevent deadly diseases, doctors warn.
Cardiologists at the European Society of Cardiology believe it could be just a few years before the threshold for normal blood pressure in women is lowered.
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Professor Angela Maas, director of the Women’s Cardiac Health Program at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands, said: “Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women.”
“The risk of cardiovascular disease increases with lower blood pressure in women compared to men.”
“My message to all women is take your blood pressure seriously, know your levels and convince your doctor that if it’s high you need treatment.
“Don’t underestimate the long-term effects of high blood pressure.”
High blood pressure is also known as hypertension.
The disease puts a strain on your blood vessels, heart and other organs.
If left untreated, it can increase the risk of serious problems like strokes and heart attacks, according to the NHS.
Prof Angela said: “Despite its importance, we know that high blood pressure in women is more often underestimated and untreated or undertreated than men.”
“One of the reasons could be that high blood pressure is more common in men under the age of 50.
“In the postmenopausal years, this reverses so that after the age of 65, high blood pressure is more common in women than in men.”
Experts think it is a misconception that high blood pressure causes no symptoms.
Instead, the symptoms are more pronounced in women, but could be confused with menopause, anxiety or stress.
HARMFUL TO WOMEN
According to the heart experts, midlife high blood pressure is more harmful in women than in men of the same age and a greater risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia.
Meanwhile, women are more likely to have a stroke when their blood pressure is lower than men’s.
High blood pressure also increases the risk of heart failure threefold in women compared to twofold in men.
Prof. Angela said: “High blood pressure is currently defined as a systolic blood pressure of at least 140 mmHg and/or a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or more.”
“But there is debate as to whether normal blood pressure levels should be lower in women than in men.”
“More research is needed before treatment guidelines are changed, but I expect that within five years the threshold for normal blood pressure will be lower in women than in men.”
Certain life events such as B. Migraines since their teenage years predispose women to the development of hypertension.
Other factors include two or more miscarriages, high blood pressure during pregnancy, etc pre-eclampsia.