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Free blood pressure checks will be available in Whangarei on June 23 and Silverdale on June 28.
The promotion is part of the Stroke Foundation’s annual road trip, using a van that is equipped to screen for high blood pressure and hypertension.
Up to one-fifth of New Zealanders have high blood pressure, which is a leading contributor to stroke.
Foundation chief executive Jo Lambert says some people can go years without knowing they’re suffering from high blood pressure because it often has no symptoms.
“Every time we visit a community, as many as three per cent of the people we test are at high risk of stroke,” Lambert says. “That’s 300 people for every 10,000 people we screen that are in hypertensive crisis. A hypertensive crisis is when high blood pressure is so acute that someone is in critical danger of experiencing a stroke.
“In addition, as many as one-third of people we test have higher than normal blood pressure readings and are unaware of any potential future risk.”
As many as 2000 New Zealanders die from stroke every year (2018), and a stroke is experienced every hour in New Zealand.
The foundation van will be outside Pak’nSave in Whangarei on Thursday, June 23, from 11am to 3pm, and then outside Pak’nSave in Silverdale on Tuesday, June 28, from 10am to 3pm. Anyone is welcome to visit the mobile units and get a free check.
