CHILDREN could now be at risk from hypertension, or high blood pressure as it is better known, according to Dr Philippos Stylianou, president of the Cyprus Society of Hypertension.
Stylianou was speaking at a news conference yesterday commemorating Worldwide Hypertension Day, usually marked on May 17 but is happening a week earlier due to the elections on May 22.
As part of their campaign the association is setting up kiosks in Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos on Saturday from 10am until lunchtime, where doctors will be measuring blood pressure for free and handing out leaflets.
“Blood pressure has gotten higher in children and teenagers due to changes in lifestyle,” said Stylianou citing junk food as one of the main reasons. “We encourage paediatricians to check blood pressure in children now too,” he added.
High blood pressure is classed as a chronic medical condition in which arterial blood pressure is raised, making the heart work harder thus tiring and weakening it sooner.
The more worrying aspects of the condition are that it is responsible for 65 per cent of heart disease cases, as well as leading to other conditions such as renal failure and strokes.
Dr Panayiotis Avraamides, president of the Cyprus Society of Cardiology, said the causes of the condition are in general unknown in 90 to 95 per cent of cases. He cited general causes such as bad diet, lack of exercise, obesity and alcohol. According to Avraamides, even one cigarette can raise blood pressure for 30 minutes. In some cases a lifestyle change is all that is needed, however in others a combination of medications are necessary.
In Cyprus it is estimated that around 150,000-200,000 people – or one quarter of the population – suffer from hypertension, 40 per cent of whom do not even know that they have the condition.
Both Stylianou and Avraamides stressed that there are no symptoms and so suggest that people visit the doctor regularly to get their blood pressure checked.
According to Avraamides the condition is not hereditary but if someone’s parents suffer from it they should be more vigilant about checking their blood pressure as they may have a very small predisposition to it. “It is a silent killer and could be destroying our kidneys without us even knowing about it,” said Avraamides.
Stylianou stressed that prevention, diagnosis and treatment manage to reduce the risk of a stroke by 40 per cent, coronary heart disease by 25 per cent and heart failure by 50 per cent.
In Nicosia the kiosk offering free blood pressure checks will be set up along Makarios Avenue in front of Laiki Bank, in Limassol in front of the TEPAK building, in Larnaca opposite Hobo’s Café on Phinikoudes and in Paphos it will be set up at the harbour.
