'Know Your Blood Pressure 2010'
Rotary’s Life Saving Campaign a Success
More than a dozen lives could have been saved following the Rotary Club of Canterbury’s: “Know Your Blood Pressure”, campaign to reduce the number deaths from a stroke.
Last Saturday (15 May) , the Rotary Club of Canterbury - in partnership with The Stroke Association - undertook its annual Know Your Blood Pressure exercise to encourage local people to get their blood-pressure checked-out. Raised blood-pressure (hypertension) is identified as being the main cause of the majority of strokes and a simple blood pressure check taking just a few seconds can immediately highlight a problem which can, literally, mean the difference between life and death.
The Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Councillor Pat Todd, has his Blood Pressure taken
Photo: Roger Bickerton
Boots the Chemist in the Whitefriars, Canterbury, was the venue for Saturday’s blood pressure checks undertaken by volunteer nurses from the Chaucer Hospital. Three-hundred-and-twenty-eight (328) people took advantage of the free check-up and of that number 46 showed raise blood pressure levels and were advised to seek further advice from their GPs. Of that number 12 showed dangerously high blood pressure levels and were urged to seek immediate medical advice.
Commenting on the free check-up, Richard Kemball-Cook, the President of the Rotary Club of Canterbury, said: “Stroke is a silent killer, often occurring with little or no warning. All the evidence points to the main culprit being raised blood pressure. Today we identified 46 people with abnormally high blood pressure – and of that number, twelve have a seriously high level.” He added: “If we have extended the lives of these people through the free blood pressure checks, the effort will have been worth it.”
The Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Councillor Pat Todd got the day underway by taking advantage of a free blood pressure check.
