Dr Martin Mpe_CARDIOLOGIST

MEASUREMENT MONTH<br /> <br /> The one month in the year where South Africans can get a FREE blood pressure check<br /> at participating pharmacies nationwide. And it’s the month that marks World<br /> Hypertension Day on 17.05.<br /> These are the facts and why this campaign is so important – especially in South<br /> Africa:<br />  Worldwide, more than 11-million people die from this chronic illness every<br /> year<br />  Worldwide 28 000 people die every day from the consequences of<br /> hypertension - that’s the equivalent of 70 jumbo jets crashing and killing<br /> everyone on board<br />  In South Africa the picture is equally concerning: an estimated 53 men and 78<br /> women over 30 die from the impact of hypertension every day<br />  Hypertension is known as a ‘silent killer’ because it’s just that. There are no<br /> symptoms and you don’t feel ill until you have a cardiac event like a heart<br /> attack