[Ask Dr Chiu] Why should you care about your blood pressure?

[Ask Dr Chiu] Why should you care about your blood pressure?

[Ask Dr Chiu] Why should you care about your blood pressure?

HEALTH

2020-11-16

5  Mins Read

Do you know your clothing sizes? Most people do.

Do you know your body height and weight? Almost certainly.

But, do you know your blood pressure readings? Apart from those who have chronic illness and are constantly monitoring their conditions, only very few people are sure about them.

The invisible health risk – hypertension

From a health perspective, blood pressure is the most important set of numbers to your body. This is because high blood pressure (hypertension) can trigger numerous deadly diseases including stroke, heart attack and heart failure.

However, symptoms associated with hypertension are not obvious so the condition may go unnoticed for a long time. On the other hand, this covert illness is in fact very common and is one of the most ignored chronic disease: one in four adults have hypertension, according to the data from the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department.

Taking blood pressure regularly is therefore essential. You may either do it at home or go to a clinic and have medical professionals do it for you.

Are you taking blood pressure correctly?

If you prefer DIY, you need some knowledge about how to operate a blood pressure measuring machine. For instance, the machine should be placed at around the same level of your heart in order to take an accurate reading. Moreover, you need to have some concept as to what the range of normal blood pressures is and what your readings mean.  Otherwise, the figures alone are not too helpful.

Alternatively, you can pay healthcare professionals to provide the service for you. This said, seeking professional help just to take blood pressure regularly may be a bit too costly and inconvenient.

Blood pressure taking and vouchers for free. What’s the catch?

To raise the health awareness of their clients, some insurance companies now collaborate with health and beauty brands to provide free blood pressure measurement services.  Apart from measuring blood pressure, professionals including pharmacists and dietitians also offer to their clients with tailor-made health information and suggestions. The insurers will also offer gift vouchers to participants as a token of recognition.

Customers enjoying good health have a lower chance of filing health-related claims, creating a win-win situation for both the customers and the insurers. For this reason, this payer-to-partner concept to focus on customer wellbeing has become a strategy of many modern insurance companies.