Pharmacy chain Well are offering free blood pressure checks for over-40s at the Trafford Centre for the next fortnight. The mobile health bus will be parked in the food court opposite Nandos offering the checks to the public for free, as part of a drive to raise awareness about the dangers of high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.
Hypertension is a contributing factor in half of all strokes and heart attacks in the UK, according to Blood Pressure UK. “High blood pressure has very few noticeable symptoms, which is why it is known as the silent killer”, said Ifti Khan, Pharmacy Superintendent for Well. “But regular monitoring and simple lifestyle changes can be lifesaving.” NHS data suggests around one in three adults in England have high blood pressure.
However, as many as half of those sufferers may not even know they have it. The campaign Blood Pressure United was launched by Well back in January in collaboration with former England footballer Glenn Hoddle, who almost died following a cardiac arrest on his 61st birthday.
The Manchester-headquartered chain is also offering the free checks for over-40s at the 25-plus branches in the Greater Manchester area. A full list of Well pharmacy locations can be found here .
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