The sixth edition of the #bojatakmowie educational campaign by Servier is being launched.
The aim of the campaign is to raise public awareness of the importance of regular blood pressure measurements. The slogan for this year's launch is - #measurePressure. The campaign coincides with the May Blood Pressure Measurement Month screening initiative.
- Hypertension continues to be a leading cause of death, responsible for the deaths of around 11 million people worldwide each year.
- Only one in two people with high blood pressure are aware of the importance of regular blood pressure measurements.
- Hypertension remains undiagnosed mainly in active people under the age of 60 who are too busy to attend medical appointments.
Warsaw (Poland), 8 May 2023. - On 1 May 2023, global pharmaceutical group Servier - in partnership with the May Blood Pressure Measurement Month campaign, implemented by the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) since 2017, inaugurated the sixth instalment of the #bojatakmowie campaign. The global campaign aims to raise public awareness of the importance of controlling blood pressure. This year, the message is aimed at active people over the age of 40. This is the group least likely to be diagnosed with hypertension, which is affecting more and more young adults.
Hypertension, which is estimated to affect more than 1.2 billion people worldwide, is a leading cause of death.
According to the National Health Fund, there were almost 10 million patients diagnosed with hypertension in Poland in 2018. A trend analysis shows that this number is still increasing. Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Other complications can include heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, kidney dysfunction or vascular changes in the retina leading to visual impairment. 2018 saw the highest number of deaths from hypertension to date, at 7,937.
Hypertension is called the 'silent killer' because it often leads to a
to serious cardiovascular diseases. Measuring your blood pressure is the only way to determine if your blood pressure is too high.
"It is generally thought that hypertension affects the elderly, while blood pressure problems are becoming increasingly common at a younger age. The problem is that in most cases, elevated blood pressure may not show any noticeable symptoms for many years, which is why preventive examinations are so important - in this case, a simple home blood pressure measurement is sufficient. Everyone, even perfectly healthy adults, should measure their blood pressure at least once a year." - emphasises Anna Szyndler, MD, PhD, from the Department of Hypertension and Diabetology at the Medical University of Gdańsk.
Regular blood pressure monitoring allows for early detection of elevated blood pressure and the implementation of appropriate treatment.
"The diagnosis of hypertension and the initiation of its therapy requires the patient to make lifestyle changes, modify eating habits and increase physical activity. However, it is usually necessary to include pharmacotherapy in addition to non-pharmacological measures. Keeping with the efficacy criterion, the patient's expectations should be taken into account when choosing treatment. The effectiveness of hypertension therapy requires the patient to be responsible and consistent. It is important that the patient understands that the basis of pharmacological treatment of hypertension is the regularity of taking medication and not modifying doses on their own. If the patient does not follow the established
with the doctor's recommendations, interrupts the therapy or discontinues the medication altogether then he cannot expect the effectiveness of the
in treatment hypertension" - adds Dr Anna Szyndler, MD, from the Department of Hypertension and Diabetology at the Medical University of Gdansk.
#bojatakmowie is a worldwide educational campaign to encourage people to measure their blood pressure.
The sixth edition of the global education campaign #bojatakmowie is once again directing public attention to the problem of hypertension. Its aim is to encourage recipients to motivate themselves and their loved ones aged 40+ to have their blood pressure checked, as this is a group particularly at risk of developing the condition. According to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), Poles with hypertension aged 40+ and Polish women aged 55+ have a high cardiovascular risk, meaning that they are highly likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke within 10 years. The campaign is being run on social media sites Facebook and Instagram throughout May in collaboration with the screening campaign May is Blood Pressure Measurement Month. As part of this year's Polish edition of the campaign, a special podcast was prepared for patients "In human terms about hypertension. Diagnosis and treatment." The guests of the podcast are Dr Anna Szyndler from the Department of Hypertension and Diabetology, Medical University of Gdańsk, and prof. Robert Gil, President Elect of the Polish Cardiac Society, Head of the Department of Invasive Cardiology, National Medical Institute in Warsaw, who introduce listeners to the issue of hypertension in an accessible manner - they talk about risk factors, alert listeners to the symptoms to be aware of and how to recognise the condition, instruct listeners on how to measure their blood pressure correctly and how often, as well as warn listeners of the complications of undiagnosed and untreated hypertension (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kohQqjPXzqM).
"The #bojatakmówię campaign is part of Servier Polska's extensive educational activities aimed at building public awareness among Poles about the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and the risks associated with them. Given that undiagnosed and untreated hypertension leads to a number of dangerous complications, we aim to encourage people to take regular blood pressure readings, knowing that in this way someone's health, or even life, could be saved." - underlines Robert Pociupany, Head of Medical and Patient Affairs at Servier Polska.