Why you need to lower your blood pressure? Know 3 benefits

Hypertension or in other words elevated blood pressure (BP) is a common disease affecting majority of our elderly population in nowdays.

So why we need to control our blood pressure to a normal level?

With the available research data, now they have found out following benefits.

1. Reduces stroke incidence

With high blood pressure, you can have a blood clot obstructing blood supply to your brain. If not treated quickly, you will be paralysed for the rest of your life. In simple words, that is a stroke. Researchers have found out that it reduces risk by 35-40%.

2. Reduces myocardial infarction

In common terms, lowering blood pressure reduces getting heart attacks (myocardial infarction) by 20-25%. Your blood pressure has two readings

systolic (higher value) & diastolic. For example if your BP is 120/80 means your systolic BP is 120 mmHg & diastolic BP is 80 mmHg.

In hypertension this will be above 140/90. So if you can maintain reduction of 12mmHg systolic BP over 10 years, that will prevent 1 death for every 11 patients treated.

3. Reduces heart failure

Your heart is the machine that pumps blood to whole parts of your body.

Sometimes heart may not be able to function as before, or it fails to pump (Heart failure). If you can lower BP, your risk of having failed heart will reduce by 50%.

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Dr Rikaz Sheriff

MBBS PGCert MSc
Director, Western Hospital

Rikaz Sheriff is responsible for all aspects of innovation and strategy of health informatics solutions of LankaDoctor. Rikaz joined UniverSL Software after working for 5 years as a Senior Medical Officer at Western Hospital where he leads the business development unit with responsibility for marketing strategy, brand management, advertising, and consumer promotions.

He also serves as the chief coordinator for their kidney transplant programme. Rikaz is a life member of the Sri Lanka Medical Association and the Health Informatics Society of Sri Lanka. Rikaz holds a MBBS degree from Baqai University (Pakistan) and a Master's degree in Biomedical Informatics from the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo. He also works as the Provincial Health Informatician for the Department of Health Services, Western Province.

Dr. Yapa Wijeratne
MBBS University of Perdeniya.
Medical Officer, Mawanella Hospital.

Yapa entered Faculty of Medicine in 2008, following a successful career at the Dharmaraja College, Kandy. While continuing his undergraduate career, he joined UniverSL Software. He completed his MBBS degree from University of Peradeniya & worked as a Temporary lecturer at Department of Basic sciences, Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Peradeniya. After completing his internship, he is still working at Teaching Hospital Peradeniya.