Are you living close to major roads? You have higher risk of hypertension!
There is a strong association between the risk of high blood pressure and living near to a major road – according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
The study involved 5400 women in the San Diego Metropolitan area and found living within 100 meters of a major busy road increases the risk of hypertension by 22 percent.
The study does not go into details on what specifically (noise, pollution, etc...) causes hypertension, but it raises questions about city development and its impact on health.
Hypertension, even when treated, carries high risk of cardiovascular disease, such as coronary artery disease, enlarged left heart or heart failure. But high blood pressure can also lead to stroke, kidney damage or vision loss.
Hypertension can silently damage you for years before symptoms (if any) may develop. But in most cases, it does not have any symptoms at all - the best policy is therefore prevention.
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a useful tool in managing hypertension, as it gives more measurements automatically for a 24-hour period, including night-time, which is a special indicator of adverse cardiovascular events.
Meditech is one of the worldwide technology leaders in the areas of ambulatory blood pressure manufacturing.