Hypertension, or high blood pressure (BP), is a concept some patients struggle with. You’re told you have a health condition, and yet you feel well, it doesn’t give you any symptoms, and you don’t feel any different once treatment is started. You’re buying into the concept that looking after yourself (with lifestyle modifications and medication) will protect you from serious illness such as kidney disease, strokes or heart attacks in many years to come. Perhaps it’s best viewed as paying into your pension – you won’t ever feel like you’re reaping the rewards, but you’d kick yourself if you hadn’t invested.

If you suspect that you or someone else is having a stroke, phone the emergency services immediately and request an ambulance. During a stroke, every minute is vital to reduce the brain damage that a stroke can cause. By knowing the signs and symptoms of a stroke, you can save someone’s life.

Statins are a type of medication used to lower your cholesterol. In the UK, there are multiple statins available on prescription. First generation** - pravastatin, fluvastatin. These have the greatest risk of side effects. Not so commonly used. Second generation** - simvastatin & atorvastatin. Of these atorvastatin is newer, more effective and has a lower side effect profile in comparison to simvastatin, Third generation** - rosuvastatin. This is effective and has a low side effect profile. There maybe more in the future. All medications can cause side effects, and statins are no different. Below we will take a look at some of the common side effects you can experience with statins.

If you’re found to have high blood pressure (BP), or hypertension on one occasion, you should make an appointment with your doctor, practice nurse or local pharmacy to have this rechecked. High blood pressure is never diagnosed based on just one reading – several readings are needed and you may be lent a BP machine (or you may have one at home) and advised to keep a blood pressure diary, with a week of readings taken at different times of the day. Hypertension is diagnosed based on what the majority of readings show. Your blood pressure reading has two numbers, one 'above' the other - for example, 135/85. The higher number (called the systolic) is a measure of the pressure inside your arteries when your heart pumps blood out. The lower number (called the diastolic) is a measure of the pressure inside your arteries when your heart is resting between heartbeats. Blood pressure is measured in millimetres of mercury (mm Hg). High blood pressure (hypertension) is viewed as blood pressure readings that are consistently at or above 140/90 mm Hg each time it is taken at the GP surgery, or if home or ambulatory readings are always more than 135/85 mm Hg.

Find out the difference between ‘good cholesterol’ and ‘bad cholesterol’ with our handy guide. Lipids are fat compounds found in the body that include cholesterol and triglycerides. They are used for many important functions, but sometimes there is too much of a good thing! Here we dive into a bit more detail on what exactly is good and bad cholesterol. Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance we all have in our blood, and it’s essential for good health, helping to store energy and with other vital body functions such as creating healthy cell membranes. However, too much of the ‘bad’ kind of cholesterol can increase your risk of conditions such as heart disease or stroke. There are two main ways we make cholesterol – from our body and from what we eat. Body-generated cholesterol is made in our liver and it helps your body build cells and make vitamins and certain hormones. We make all the cholesterol we need through this process. Dietary cholesterol comes from the food we eat, particularly products like meat, eggs, cheese and milk.

There can be multiple causes of chest pain, depending on your age, family history and any related medical conditions you have. One of the most serious is if you’re having a heart attack, or a myocardial infarction (MI). Let’s take you through when to worry and what requires immediate action from any bystanders and urgent medical treatment.