People with high blood pressure are three times more likely to suffer from heart disease or have a stroke if it is not treated, the Director General for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Charmaine Gauci, said yesterday.

Dr Gauci was speaking on the occasion of World Hypertension Day, which emphasises the importance of keeping blood pressure under control as otherwise there can be unpleasant consequences. High blood pressure can also cause damage to sensitive organs, she said.

The Health Interview Survey of 2008 revealed that 22.1 per cent of the Maltese population reported that they suffered from hypertension, or high blood pressure, although no actual tests were carried out.

This chronic illness is common on the Maltese Islands, and 17.2 per cent of those included in the survey are actually on anti-hypertensives.

The emphasis should be on the prevention of this problem, Dr Gauci said, by adopting a healthy lifestyle. This includes maintaining a level of exercise and a healthy diet. She explained that a healthy lifestyle doesn’t always mean medication can be stopped.

The World Action on Salt and Health Group said that the risk of heart problems and strokes goes down by a quarter if a person reduces their salt intake by some 2.5 grammes a day. Adults should not take in more than five grammes a day, she said, including salt hidden in some foods.

A leaflet detailing which foods contain most salt and which are safer is available at the Health Ministry, she said. This leaflet uses a traffic light system to indicate which foods are safer.

People can call the Directorate of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention on 2326 6000 and order a copy which will be posted to their house.

B. Sc. nursing students were on hand outside the ministry in Valletta, offering passers-by the chance to check their blood pressure. They were also encouraging people who had never yet checked their blood pressure to do so.