(Niagara Gazette) — Many Western New Yorkers who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure are taking steps to ensure the improvement of their health. Thousands, however, are ignoring advice given to them by their physicians and continue to put their health at risk according to a recent report from Univera Healthcare.
Adopting a healthier lifestyle goes a long way in managing the damaging effects of high blood pressure. This includes watching your weight, exercising, eating a proper diet and listening to your doctor.
“About two out of three of the 416,000 Western New York adults diagnosed with high blood pressure said they changed their diet or increased their physical activity to manage their condition,” said Richard Vienne, D.O., vice president and chief medical officer at Univera Healthcare. “But one in three Western New York adults with the condition is not taking these two crucial steps to improve blood pressure control.
“That’s concerning, because properly managing high blood pressure can add years to your life and help you avoid costly crippling health problems, such as heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease,” he added.
Of the adults diagnosed with high blood pressure, 66.2 percent to 70 percent said they changed their diet, reduced sodium intake and increased physical activity, a third said they do not drink but 10.1 percent said they had at least one binge-drinking episode in the 30 days preceding the survey, four out of five said they take blood pressure medicine as advised by their doctor and 16 percent reported that they are currently smokers.
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