New Delhi, August 27, 2024: Experts warn of an unusual symptom of high blood pressure that concerned patients may want to get checked out if they are experiencing it.
Both the NHS and the British Heath Foundation (BHF) said nosebleeds is among a number of symptoms that could indicate high blood pressure. The charity also said blurred vision, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness and headaches can be a sign. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is known as a silent killer because it can go undetected for a long period of time and leads to death.
It is estimated that at least one in four adults in India have high blood pressure but many will not know they have it. Many people with high blood pressure feel fine. But even if you feel fine, you should still have your blood pressure checked regularly.
“If you’re a healthy adult over 40, it’s recommended that you get it checked at least once every five years. But if you’re at increased risk of high blood pressure, you should have it checked more often, ideally once a year.”
The link between high blood pressure and nosebleeds is believed to be as a result of damage to the blood vessels inside your nose. The US-based Medical Associates of North Texas said: “While most experts believe that hypertension alone doesn’t cause nosebleeds unless your blood pressure is extremely high, it can damage the blood vessels inside your nose, making bleeding more likely.
“Some recent research has found that hypertension may increase your risk of more severe nosebleeds. One study indicates that people with high blood pressure are 2.7 times more likely to need emergency care for nosebleeds than people with healthy blood pressure.”
Recently, scientists have been looking into the possible prevention or delay of diseases like dementia, and believe high blood pressure could be one of many factors that play a part.
There is more hope than “ever before” that nearly half of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed, the experts said. Researchers have identified two new risks: high cholesterol and vision loss, that can be tackled to reduce the chances of developing the condition.
Addressing these factors – as well as 12 others – in childhood and throughout life, gives people the best chance of preventing or delaying dementia, even if they have high genetic risk, researchers said.
An estimated 7% of cases are attributable to high, bad cholesterol life from about the age of 40, and 2% of cases are attributable to untreated vision loss in later life.
Lead author Professor Gill Livingston, from University College London (UCL), said the report “shows hope that we can prevent people getting dementia, and more than ever before”.
She said: “When I first became a doctor, and for some time after, we thought that dementia was just one of these things that hit you in a sort of relatively random way, and there was nothing that you could do. And if you were going to get it, you were going to get it.
“But, now we know that that’s not true, that even if you have genes which predispose you towards it, these lifestyle changes increase the number of years in good health, and it takes longer for you to get it.
“And for people in general, there’s a lot of things that you could individually do to reduce the chance of you getting dementia and increase the number of years that you have a healthy life. I think that’s a remarkable bonus that we didn’t know about.”
Professor Livingston said that one of the easiest things people can do to prevent their risk of dementia is incorporate some exercise into their day if they are largely sedentary, whether that be a walk, or even seated exercises.
She added: “Give yourself a chance. What you do will not only decrease the chance of dementia, it will increase the quality of your life now, and may increase the quantity of your life and increase the quantity of your healthy life… because I think that what people dread is a long and unhealthy life, but it should increase the quantity of your healthy life.”
Symptoms of high blood pressure:
- blurred vision
- nosebleeds
- shortness of breath
- chest pain
- dizziness
- headaches
Courtesy:- Mirror
