Take control of your health today at the Bryanston Organic Market
BRYANSTON – With millions of South Africans at risk of illness due to high blood pressure, this May you can get your blood pressure tested for free at the Bryanston Organic Market as part of the Maymeasure SA initiative
Every three seconds someone dies from hypertension-related causes, and it is estimated that between 44 and 46 per cent of South Africans aged over 15 years old have high blood pressure.
Staggering although this percentage might be, even worse is that only about 50 per cent of those affected by high blood pressure are aware of it.
This May, make your health a priority and get your blood pressure checked for free thanks to a collaborative campaign, May Measurement Month, which is orchestrated by the International Society of Hypertension (ISH), the Southern African Hypertension Society, Servier, National Department of Health, Dis-Chem, Novartis, Omron and MSD.
The president of the ISH, professor Alta Schutte said, “In South Africa almost one in every two adults has hypertension. What’s more alarming is that about 70 per cent of adults in Sub-Saharan Africa with hypertension are not aware they have high blood pressure.”
Schutte is also the director of the South African Medical Research Council Unit for Hypertension and Cardio Vascular Disease at North-West University.
A simple blood pressure test which measures the pressure in your arteries as your heart pumps, can tell you if you have cause for concern.
“Over the past two years, May Measurement Month has been the largest ever synchronised screening campaign in the world of any risk factor, testing over 2.7 million people. “This highlights the importance of raised blood pressure as the leading risk factor for death in the world. In 2019, we hope to reach far greater numbers,” said Schutte.
“All the information gathered from the national screenings is entered into a national database. We will use the data collected to assess and learn more about the problem of high blood pressure. All the data we collect is totally anonymous.
“The next important step is to use these results to ensure global and local policy changes, where governments are activated to take this risk factor seriously and ensure that the management of blood pressure is properly and systematically controlled.”
To get your free test, visit any Dischem store this month or else attend the following free screening:
Venue: Bryanston Organic Market, Culross Road
Date: 18 May
Time: 10am – 3pm.
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