February is Heart Month, a time to bring attention to the importance of heart health. As a pharmacist, helping Canadians take care of their heart health is always a priority, but this time of year serves as an important reminder for the most common heart health issue that often goes undetected – hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. I’ve completed the Hypertension Canada Professional Certification Program to further support my patients with hypertension. It’s important our community understands that it is one of the main risk factors for heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure, and often goes undetected as most people have no symptoms.
Hypertension, more commonly known as high blood pressure, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure in arteries is persistently elevated. Blood pressure is the measure of how hard your blood is pushing against the inside of your arteries when carrying the blood from your heart throughout your body. Although a certain amount of pressure is needed to carry blood through your body, if that pressure is too great, you have high blood pressure, or hypertension.
Hypertension is a silent killer. Yet, new survey data from Shoppers Drug Mart reveals many Canadians have been neglecting their heart health. The survey found one-in-five Canadians haven’t had their blood pressure checked in the last 18 months and 13 per cent have never checked it at all. What Canadians don’t know is putting them at risk.
Here are the top myths around heart health I hear from patients and the truths about each:
1. Healthy people don’t need to get their blood pressure checked.
False. Even if you are in good health, you should check your blood pressure once a year. Hypertension is more common than many people think, affecting nearly one-in-four Canadians. By checking your blood pressure regularly, you and your pharmacist or healthcare provider can identify ways to meet your blood pressure targets that may require support through lifestyle or medication changes.
2. It’s easy to tell if you have hypertension.
False. You may think hypertension shows obvious signs and symptoms, but many of my patients are surprised to learn that it often presents no symptoms until it has reached a severe or life-threatening stage. That’s why it’s so important to prioritize your heart health and get your blood pressure checked regularly to help identify any potential issues.
1. Diet is the only thing I need to change to improve my heart health.
False. Maintaining a healthy heart takes more than simply eating your greens. Getting regular physical activity – ideally 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week — is another important part of heart health. For women, not getting enough physical activity is a higher risk factor for hypertension, whereas not having a healthy diet leads to a greater risk of hypertension in men. If you’re ready to quit smoking, your pharmacist can help you choose a smoking cessation aid that’s right for you as smoking is another risk factor for hypertension.
Getting active treatment of hypertension can result in a reduction in stroke incidence by approximately 35 to 40 per cent and reduction in incidence of coronary heart disease by eight to 14 per cent. It’s time for our community to prioritize heart health.
For more advice and information on managing your heart health, speak to your local pharmacist.
Krunal Shah is the pharmacist and owner of the Highland Green Shoppers Drug Mart in Red Deer. He has completed the Hypertension Canada Professional Certification Program (HC-PCP) to better support patients with hypertension.