多数高血压患者不知道自己血压高
High blood pressure is often called a "silent killer" because it rarely causes any symptoms. Now a huge study from England shows just how many people are living with it without realising.
Researchers from the University of Oxford examined blood pressure readings from more than a million adults taking part in a national health research programme. They found that over a third of participants had high blood pressure. Of those, almost six in ten had never been diagnosed and were not taking any medication.
Even people who were receiving treatment were not always protected. Half of those taking blood pressure tablets still had readings that were too high.
The condition became much more common with age, affecting around 15% of adults under 40 and more than 70% of those over 80. It was also almost 50% more common in men than in women.
High blood pressure puts extra strain on the heart and blood vessels, and it is linked to around half of all heart attacks and strokes in the UK. The good news is that it can be easily measured and treated.
The researchers say health services need to find and treat people much earlier. For individuals, the message is simple: get your blood pressure checked regularly, even if you feel perfectly well.
高血压常被称为“沉默的杀手”，因为它很少引起明显症状。英格兰的一项大规模研究显示，很多人得了高血压自己却浑然不知。
牛津大学的研究人员分析了一个全国性健康研究项目中一百多万名成年人的血压数据。他们发现，超过三分之一的参与者有高血压。而在这些人当中，将近六成从来没被诊断过，也没有服用任何药物。
就算在接受治疗的人里，血压也不一定控制得好。正在吃降压药的人当中，有一半的血压读数仍然偏高。
年龄越大，高血压越常见：40 岁以下的成年人中约有 15% 患病，80 岁以上的人则超过 70%。男性患高血压的比例也比女性高出将近 50%。
高血压会给心脏和血管增加额外负担，英国大约一半的心脏病发作和中风都与它有关。好在血压很容易测量，也可以治疗。
研究人员表示，医疗系统需要更早发现并治疗这些患者。对个人来说，道理很简单：就算觉得身体很好，也要定期量血压。