Keeping hypertension in check – start by taking salt out of your diet

Hypertension, often called the silent killer, causes no noticeable symptom.

Prevention, early detection and adequate treatment of hypertension are necessary to preserving lives.

Our blood pressure is not fixed. It varies with time of day or night, physical activity and emotional factors. Therefore, blood pressure has to be taken under resting condition, and on more than one occasion. It is a silent disorder and the only way to detect it is to have your blood pressure checked regularly. According to the MOH Clinical Practice Guidelines 2005, normal systolic blood pressure should be below 140mm, and diastolic blood pressure should be below 90mm. If you have other concomitant disease such as diabetes, kidney disease, stroke and heart disease the blood pressure should be 10mm lower.

Dr Wong Teck Wee, Consultant Cardiologist from the Singapore Heart, Stroke & Cancer says: "Hypertension often causes no noticeable symptom but can lead to damage of various organs in the body if the blood pressure remains persistently high. It is thus often called the silent killer."

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