Operation Transformation’s National Blood Pressure Day will take place on Thursday 23 January with test centres being set up in shopping centres across the country.
In Dundalk, the team from the Irish Heart Foundation and Irish Medical Organisation are coming to the Long Walk Shopping Centre to test people’s blood pressure free of charge.
To make an appointment for one of the Operation Transformation Blood Pressure Screenings simply email ot@rte.ie with the following information:
- Name
- Age
- Contact Telephone Number
- Preferred Shopping centre:
- Preferred time between 9am and 11.45am
- If you have had your blood pressure tested before. And if so when?
- Do you have any concerns regarding your current blood pressure?
A member of the Operation Transformation Team will contact you with an appointment. They will also send you a registration form that you need to bring with you to your screening.
Blood pressure is the pressure of the blood in the arteries. A certain amount of pressure is needed to keep the blood flowing around the body. A blood pressure reading consists of two numbers usually shown as one on top of the other and measured in mmHg (millimetres of mercury). If the blood pressure reading is 120 / 80mmHg the doctor or nurse may refer to it as “120 over 80”.
High blood pressure – or hypertension – means that blood pressure is constantly higher than the recommended level. Blood pressure should be below 140/ 90. For those who have heart and circulatory disease (such as coronary heart disease or stroke) or diabetes or kidney disease, then blood pressure should be below 130 / 80.
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure and atrial fibrillation. People with uncontrolled high blood pressure are at risk of cardiovascular disease, which is the number one cause of death in Ireland. People with high blood pressure are more likely to have other risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as diabetes and high cholesterol, than those with normal blood pressure. These additional risk factors interact with each other, increasing cardiovascular risk much more, even if blood pressure is only slightly raised. High blood pressure increases with age. High blood pressure rarely causes any signs and symptoms until the damage affects your health. For this reason it is often dubbed the ‘silent killer’.
For more details on National Blood Pressure Day visit here.
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