Almost 500,000 Israelis unaware they're hypertensive
Untreated hypertension can lead to stroke, kidney disease, heart attacks and other conditions.
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICHhuman heart 88(photo credit: )
More than a million Israelis suffer from high blood pressure, and almost half of them are unaware of it, according to Prof. Reuven Zimlichman, president of the Israel Hypertension Society. He recommends that everyone over 50 be tested for it by their family doctor.
Untreated hypertension can lead to stroke, kidney disease, heart attacks and other conditions. Blood pressure of 120 to 140/80 to 90 used to be considered normative, but today it is considered too high.
Hypertension Awareness Day will be marked on Thursday. People are invited to be tested at stands in NewPharm pharmacies until May 20. Discounts of NIS 50 on digital sphygmomanoters (to measure blood pressure at home) will be offered.
On Thursday, visitors at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon and Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer will be able to receive information on diet, physical activity, smoking cessation and other ways to reduce blood pressure. A phone information line on hypertension will operate at (03) 502-8821 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Israel Forum for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases (www.2life.co.il) recommends testing your own blood pressure, especially if you suffer from "white-coat hypertension," in which nervousness at a clinic makes your blood pressure rise artificially.
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