High blood pressure or hypertension is a condition where your blood pressure crosses the normal limit of 140/90. If untreated, it may lead to heart disease and stroke. It can be dangerous as it makes your heart work harder to pump out the blood. Excessive consumption of salt, an unhealthy diet, obesity, lack of physical activities and stress are some of the common causes of high blood pressure. For most of us, our lifestyle resonates with one or more of the above factors which is why its is not surprising that high blood pressure is affecting the young and the old alike.
While high blood pressure is turning out to be common and more and more people are getting diagnosed, a new study reveals something rather shocking. As per a study, published in the journal Canadian Family Physician, almost 20% of the people who are being treated for high blood pressure may not really have it! Researchers of the study believe that it might be a case of misdiagnosis as a result of doctors using manual devices to measure blood pressure.
To prove their point, they conducted a survey among Canadian family doctors in 2016 which revealed that 52% of the 769 respondents used a manual tensiometer to measure blood pressure. Only 43 per cent used an automatic device. The manual devices that measures blood pressure is considered to use a dated technology that often leads to errors and misdiagnosis.
“About 20 per cent of people receiving treatment for hypertension don’t actually have a problem and do not need medication. This is due mainly to the fact that their blood pressure was improperly measured. Clinicians should use automatic devices,” said lead author Janusz Kaczorowski, Professor at Universite de Montreal in Canada.
It is recommended to use automated devices to measure high blood pressure because they tend to eliminate something known as the white-coat syndrome in which a person may report higher levels of blood pressure due to the stress of being in a doctor’s office and human interaction. The correct diagnosis of high blood pressure can definitely help in reducing the incidence of heart disease.
High blood pressure can be effectively managed with the help of a good diet and regular exercises. People are also advised to keep a check on their salt intake. According to Wellness Expert, Preeti Rao, certain home remedies like lemon, watermelon seeds and garlic can help lowering high levels of blood pressure, though, you must always consult your doctor before changing or altering your medicines and opting for a natural remedy.
[“source-ndtv”]
