MEC urges lifestyle changes to combat hypertension

SThis was Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu’s message, while encouraging the public to lead healthy lifestyles to avoid falling victim to illnesses such as hypertension, also known as high blood pressure.

Mahlangu said people needed to be proactive in order to reduce the risk of hypertension, which she warned was a ‘silent killer’ because it could go unnoticed.

“High blood pressure unlike other diseases does not make its presence felt,” she said. “It does not impinge on how you feel on a day to day basis. It shows no symptoms in the early stages until complications develop. When it finally announces its presence, its impact is usually fatal.”

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa, one in three South Africans over the age of 15 suffer from high blood pressure, making the country’s hypertension rate one of the highest in the world.

Further, South Africa has consistently had the highest rate of hypertension reported in the world among people aged 50 and over, with almost eight out of 10 people in this age group being diagnosed with the condition.

Statistics show that there are about 130 incidents of heart attacks and 240 incidents of strokes daily in South Africa.

In Gauteng, it is estimated that around 15.5 percent of adults are hypertensive.

“Between April 2013 to December 2013, 51 859 patients were placed on anti-hypertension medication in the province’s public health facilities,” said Mahlangu.

However, she said the treatment of hypertension did not include medication alone, and therefore appealed to the public to address the quality of their lifestyles by modifying their behaviour.

“Winter is upon us and the chilly weather drives many of us to laziness. At this time we hardly exercise and the kilograms pile up in our bodies as we resort to these bad eating habits, and we often not aware that we exposing ourselves to the risks of various diseases,” she said.

Some of the known symptoms of the disease include headache, dizziness, visual problems, palpitations and feelings of extreme anxiety.

Although any person was susceptible to hypertension, some people were at a higher risk of developing the condition.

People who were overweight, had a family history of hypertension, led stressful or unhealthy lives, and those who had unhealthy diets or had diabetes carried a greater risk of developing hypertension, she said.

Mahlangu advised the public to reduce the risk of hypertension by eating healthy food, monitoring their weight, reducing their salt and alcohol intake, avoiding fatty meals, smoking and stress, controlling their blood sugar levels and exercising regularly.