MORE than 1,200 Brummies responded to a plea to by the Lord Mayor Len Gregory to beat a ‘silent killer’ – and have their blood pressure checked.
A hen party was among those who turned up to take part in the Big Birmingham Blood Pressure Challenge at Star City on Saturday.
The event was organised by the Lord Mayor with the Stroke Association to combat high blood pressure, known as a ‘silent killer’.
They were hoping to get the city into the Guinness Book of records by encouraging 3,000 to take a test within eight hours.
The current record is held by Florda, where 2,075 blood pressure checks were carried out over the same time period.
But Stroke Association spokeswoman Julie Ainscow said they were still delighted with the turn out and pleased that so many people responded to the call to keep a watchful eye on their health.
“Just over 1,200 people had their blood pressure taken which didn’t break the world record, but was a fantastic turnout nevertheless,” she said.
“It’s pleasing so many people are interested in their health and had access to a free health check up while they were there. It shows people are taking their health seriously so although the world record wasn’t broken I’m not disappointed in the turn out at all.
“The people that came along all learned a lot about the importance of having their blood pressure taken and how it can save their life. There were a wide range of ages and all sorts of people, including a hen party so I think we really got the message out there.”
High blood pressure is known as the ‘silent killer’ as it has no symptoms, yet is one of the main causes of a stroke. It causes about 50 per cent of ischaemic strokes and also increases the risk of strokes due to bleeding in the brain.
Around 40 per cent of strokes could be prevented if people are diagnosed and treated for high blood pressure.
Heather Webber, head of operations for The Stroke Association in the West Midlands, said: “Most people with high blood pressure can be treated effectively through prescribed drugs.
“The condition can also be prevented by making small but significant lifestyle changes.”
