Monitor your blood pressure to avoid the threat of a stroke - Susan Dalgety

In the last few years, four of my friends and my brother-in-law have succumbed to strokes in their late fifties or early sixties. All have recovered, but they are the lucky ones.

Too many people die prematurely from strokes and heart attacks because they did not know they had the condition. Not for nothing is it called the ‘silent killer’, because contrary to what you might believe, there are no symptoms.

Yet according to a recent survey carried out by Blood Pressure UK among Edinburgh citizens, only around half (51 per cent) have had their blood pressure tested in the past year.

I may not be an expert on AI, but I am pretty clued-up about high blood pressure, having suffered from it for many years.

I had pre-eclampsia, which causes dangerously high blood pressure, with both my pregnancies and I have been taking medication for the condition for the past 30 years.

I am now on three different pills in an effort to keep it at a healthy level, but I am hoping my recent weight loss will mean that I may be able to reduce that down to one or two in the near future.

My high blood pressure is probably genetic, as my mother and maternal grandmother both suffered from it, and neither of them were overweight or drank alcohol.

But whatever the cause, I take my medication every morning without fail. I am convinced that without it, I too would have had a premature stroke, and may not have been as lucky as my friends.

So, no matter whether you are in your prime or reaching pension age, make sure you get your blood pressure checked regularly. And don’t rely on your smartphone to monitor it. Apps are all very well, but for an accurate reading you need a more reliable test.

Blood Pressure UK’s website offers advice on home monitoring and you can always ask your GP to check your numbers. It may save your life.