27 August 2008

Free blood pressure checks and information will be on offer at Lloydspharmacy during 8-14 September as part of the Blood Pressure Association's (BPA's) Know your Numbers!® Week.

Around 1,575 Lloyds pharmacies nationwide will be inviting local residents to pop in for a blood pressure check during the event to see if they are at risk of high blood pressure.

16 million adults in the UK have high blood pressure (that’s one in three) but more than five million of them don't know it because the condition has no obvious symptoms.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure causes strokes, heart attack and heart failure, and can also lead to kidney disease and dementia. However, once detected, the condition can be successfully treated.

Lloydspharmacy is among 3,000 official ‘Pressure Stations’ being held in pharmacies, supermarkets, shopping centres, workplaces and a wide range of community venues offering free blood pressure checks across the UK during the charity’s event.

Andy Murdock Lloydspharmacy Pharmacy Director said: "Lloydspharmacy is proud to be supporting the Blood Pressure Association’s Know Your Numbers! Week 2008. We know that high blood pressure is a serious but treatable condition, so this is a great opportunity to encourage all those people who haven’t had a recent check to have a free blood pressure check and take the first step in reducing their risk of stroke and heart attack.”

Mike Rich, Executive Director of the Blood Pressure Association, said: “We are delighted that Lloydspharmacy is once again taking part in Know your Numbers! Week. To raise awareness during this year’s campaign we are asking ‘Are you at risk from the ticking time bomb?’ That’s because uncontrolled high blood pressure is like a hidden time bomb which can cause stroke, heart attack and heart failure.

“So we want everyone to take control and reduce their risk of the silent killer by having a free blood pressure check during Know your Numbers! Week. It's quick, free and painless and could save your life.”

To find out more about the campaign, or for a free blood pressure information pack, visit the Know your Numbers! website at www.bpassoc.org.uk/kyn or call 020 8772 4994. If you have a question about high blood pressure and would like to speak to someone over the phone, call the Blood Pressure Association’s Information Line on 0845 241 0989 (11am-3pm, Mon-Fri).

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

For more information on Know your Numbers! Week or on high blood pressure, contact the Blood Pressure Association’s Press Office on 020 8772 4993/4984, or email mgederon@sgul.ac.uk.
For further information on Lloydspharmacy, to arrange for your reporter to have their blood pressure checked, or for a photo or interview at a Lloyds pharmacy, please contact: Chloë Hudson on 02476 625209 or email chloe.hudson@lloydspharmacy.co.uk
The Blood Pressure Association is the UK’s leading blood pressure charity working to lower the nation’s blood pressure. The charity provides information and support for people with high blood pressure and raises awareness to prevent the condition. The charity recently won the healthcare category of The Charity Awards 2008 for its work on the Know your Numbers! campaign. For more information visit the charity’s main website at www.bpassoc.org.uk, call head office on 020 8772 4994 or contact our information line on 0845 241 0989

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