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'Fruits, vegetables, exercise help reduce high BP'

ISLAMABAD: Fresh fruits, vegetables with maximum calcium and light exercise including jogging and walking in a fresh atmosphere help minimise the problem of high blood pressure.

The patients of high blood pressure aged about 40 years and more were advised to take balanced diet, control weight and use minimum salt to avoid risk of heart attack.

This was stated by consultant cardiologist Dr Ejaz Ali Malik in a PTV programme here on Friday.

He said with the passage of time, particularly in aged persons, the cholesterol accumulates in the blood veins and later become hard and as a result involves in blood pressure diseases.

Dr Ejaz was of the view that smoking is not a main cause of heart attack but this habit can harm the blood vessels and other parts of the human body which may create some problems of heart.

Replying a question regarding weather affects on the persons having blood pressure disease, he said that people belong to hot countries could more likely to suffer heart attack while living in areas having cold weather.

He said women generally complain of low blood pressure but this is not owing to blood problem.

They may have some other reasons like anaemia or dehydration and should not worry of low blood pressure.

Talking about the symptoms of high blood pressure, called as the silent killer, are not found clearly but in early stages the patients complain of headache, nausea and kidney pain.

Such patients should consult doctor very soon, he advised.

The doctors in the US and Britain are curing blood pressure for the last 20 years successfully because of which the percentage of parallyse, heart failure and kidney failure is going down drastically.

Giving the background of this disease, Dr Ejaz said veins take blood from heart to the different parts of the human body and when its pressure increases to a limited point, it is called high blood pressure.

In normal body, it should be between 120/80 and it becomes alarming when it crosses to 140/90.

Dr Ejaz said a high blood pressure has many reasons, which include hereditary, use of exorbitant salt, overweight and taking some type of medicines.

He said about 15 to 20 percent people are suffering from high blood pressure out of which 50 percent have no knowledge of this disease.

He said nearly 20 to 25 percent blood pressure patients are getting proper treatment.

The people aged between 35 and 40 years should consult doctors twice a year regularly to avoid the chance of heart attack.

He said tension, irritation and choler help promote high blood pressure endangering the health of people badly. APP