District Medical Officer, Dr. Shana Cyr-Philbert, has cautioned that people with hypertension should monitor their conditions regularly, as the non-communicable disease can lead to a host of problems if left untreated.

“High blood pressure is called the silent killer. It is not by accident that we call it the silent killer,” she said. “High blood pressure can go unnoticed. Oftentimes, your blood pressure maybe high and you may have no pain or symptoms, until it’s too late when it has affected your kidneys, your eyes and your heart. So persons need to be aware, and make an effort to get their blood pressure checked and know which numbers are normal and which numbers are not.”

Dr. Cyr-Philbert said hypertension is starting to affect people at earlier stages in life due to increasing obesity rates.

“High blood pressure affects anybody at any age. It usually affected persons who started to age, but what we’ve seen is that younger persons are having high blood pressure because they are more overweight, and that increases the risk of having high blood pressure.”

The Minister for Health and Wellness, Sen. Hon. Mary Isaac, said lifestyle changes can help control or lower the chances of developing high blood pressure.

“Generally, people should exercise regularly. If we can start to walk more on a regular basis that helps. We also have to take in a lot of water, as much water as possible because that helps. We also have people who consume a lot of alcohol. That is not a good thing for people with hypertension.”

Hypertension is a leading cause of death in the world. The non-communicable disease can lead to stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and blindness.