High blood pressure: Front Shop Module 5, 2020

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• on November 9, 2020
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High blood pressure (BP) or ‘hypertension’ is a common condition and a major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease.

High blood pressure does not usually cause any symptoms. People who have high blood pressure, therefore, are often unaware that they have the condition. Hypertension is therefore frequently referred to as a ‘silent epidemic’ or a ‘silent killer’ in South Africa because it remains under-diagnosed and inadequately treated.

Community pharmacies can help reduce the number of people living with high blood pressure by:

• Offering blood pressure screening tests and referring patients with high blood pressure readings to the doctor or clinic
• Encouraging patients to change their lifestyle
• Ensuring that patients take all their blood pressure medicines as prescribed

This Module discusses high blood pressure, its causes, risk factors and management in the community pharmacy setting.