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October 28, 2016

HYPERTENSION: ARE YOU SAFE?


Know | Treat | Monitor

What is Hypertension?

Blood pressure is the pressure


of your blood on the walls of
your arteries as your heart
pumps it around your body. Its
a vital part of how your heart
and circulation works. Your
blood pressure naturally goes
up and down all the time,
adjusting to your hearts needs
depending on what you are
doing. High blood pressure is
when your blood pressure is
persistently higher than
normal.
Keeping it under control.
Hypertension in ACT There are multiple options that you can try to reduce both
blood pressure (BP) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
In the ACT, prevalence of These measures are complementary, not just an alternative, to
uncontrolled/unmanaged blood pressure medications, tailored based on your clinical
hypertension goes as high as needs.
20%. Moreover, high blood Effective measures to reduce BP and CVD risk include:
pressure is a risk factor which smoking cessation
can cause other cardiovascular regular physical activity
problems, requiring proper reduction of alcohol intake
treatment to avoid progression moderate sodium restriction
of the disease. healthy eating plan
weight reduction in overweight patients
Set a target. management of obstructive sleep apnoea.

Normal blood pressure


Target: Below 120/80 mmHg.

Uncomplicated Hypertension
Target: 140/90 mmHg.

People with associated clinical


conditions
Target: 130/80 mmHg.

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October 28, 2016

Visit your Doctor.


If your blood pressure continues to persist even with
dietary restrictions or lifestyle modification, it may be time
for you to visit your doctor, as you may need to be on
anti-hypertensive medications. Dont just leave it
untreated otherwise, your blood pressure can fluctuate
and can be dangerous for your overall health.

If you have other health problems, it is generally


Compliance and
important to mention this to your doctor and be on
Proper Treatment antihypertensive medications. Treatment of hypertension
Taking your antihypertensive is generally life long, so before starting drug therapy it is
medication regularly is required essential to confirm that the BP elevation is sustained.
to maintain control of blood
More importantly, smoking cessation and limiting alcohol
pressure and avoid progression
intake are two important factors to effectively manage
of the disease. It is also essential
your blood pressure.
that you take it daily, depending
on your medication, to avoid Physical activity and healthy eating are particularly
fluctuation in your blood pressure important as well, as there is a strong association
levels.
between hypertension and the progression of glucose
It is also important to let your intolerance.
doctor know of any medications
that you are taking to prevent
unnecessary drug interactions
and tailor a specific treatment
suitable for your needs.

Visit your doctor regularly for


medication reviews, blood checks
and other necessary assessments
to make sure that you get the
best out of your medications and
at the same time, avoid side
effects associated with your
medicines.

Reference:

Therapeutic Guidelines
https://tgldcdp.tg.org.au

The Heart Foundation Australia


www.heartfoundation.org.au

NPS Medicine Wise


http://www.nps.org.au

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