The five key things to be aware of about 'silent killer' affecting one in four Brits

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Having high blood pressure is an extremely common condition that affects millions of Brits every year - and it can become life-threatening if left unnoticed.It is believed that one in four adults have hypertension (high blood pressure), but are unaware of the risk it poses, reports the Mirror.The common condition could end up leading to some deadly complications, like a heart attack or even a stroke.High blood pressure could be caused by many things, including having an unhealthy eating schedule, or by not partaking in enough exercise.There are five key things people should be aware of when it comes to the 'silent killer', high blood pressure - it could seriously lower their risks of complications by knowing what to be on the look out for.High blood pressure is often described as a silent killer, because there are no obvious signs or symptoms.In some cases, patients aren't even aware they have it until something serious happens, like a heart attack.

Up to five million people in the UK have undiagnosed high blood pressure, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF). What your blood pressure reads as will be key to the diagnosis from your doctor.The reading is taken by analysing two numbers - one being your systolic blood pressure (what happens when the heart squeezes), and the other being your diastolic blood pressure (when the heart relaxes).It is measured in millimetres of mercury - mmHg - and anything over 140/90mmHg is considered high.

You should be getting your blood pressure checked at least once every five years, according to Blood Pressure UK. If you already know you have high blood pressure, you should be getting it checked out much more regularly.The best place to get your blood pressure reading is at your