Residents of Jelenia Góra had the opportunity to check whether hypertension was also a problem for them. A qualified team of nurses was waiting for everyone interested in the specially adapted bus of the “Ciśnienie na życie” campaign. After conducting the examination, the team interpreted the result and provided professional advice on preventing diseases of the circulatory system. The correct blood pressure value should be between 120/80 and 139/89 millimetres of mercury (mmHg). A measurement result above the normal range may be the first sign of deteriorating health and requires consultation with a doctor.
In addition, using a specially prepared application*, the organisers of the “Ciśnienie na życie” campaign conducted a screening test that allowed residents of Jelenia Góra to check how old their hearts were. It turned out that the heart age of one in five people examined exceeded their chronological age by an average of 8 years.
The “Heart Age” application makes it possible to determine whether a patient faces an increased risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. This occurs when the calculated heart age is higher than the person’s chronological age. The good news is that heart age can be lowered! Anyone can do this by changing their diet and lifestyle to healthier ones and—if necessary—effectively treating the so-called risk factors for heart attacks and strokes, such as hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, smoking, lack of physical activity and stress.
The “Ciśnienie na życie” campaign aims to persuade Poles to take care of their health, particularly in the context of cardiovascular events. As the NATPOL 2011 study showed, as many as one in three adult Poles has hypertension. A lack of preventive care means that we are diagnosed too late and often begin treatment only after a serious cardiovascular event—a heart attack or ischaemic stroke. Meanwhile, by regularly monitoring our blood pressure, we can detect abnormalities in the functioning of the cardiovascular system at a stage when the symptoms of the disease are still minor and can be effectively controlled.
* The application was developed by experts from Gdańsk Medical University with the consent of scientists from Boston University, the authors of the FHS algorithm. The study calculated heart age for people aged 30 to 74 who had not previously suffered either a heart attack or a stroke. Therefore, reliable results can be obtained only for this age group.
Jelenia Góra Medical University/ii