Jan 21, 2022
Welcome back to UHC’s House Call on WDTV. If you have hypertension beware what is lurking in your medicine cabinet as those pills could pump up your blood pressure. Joining us tonight is Kaitlyn Oliverio, clinical pharmacist at UHC.
1). Before we delve into how medicines in your medicine cabinet can affect hypertension, tell us how prevalent is hypertension?
“The numbers are pretty mind-boggling actually,” said Oliverio. “Nearly half of adults in the United States have high blood pressure. 3 out of 4 patients are age 60 and above. High blood pressure puts you at an increased risk for stroke and heart disease. There’s a lot of people who don’t ever release they have high blood pressure.”
2). You stated in your previous answer about the prevalence of this disease and how extraordinarily high the numbers are for those who know they have high blood pressure. What about the people who do not know if they have it. What should you do if you are uncertain?
“The best thing to do is get checked at your physician’s office,” Oliverio said. “If that’s not an option, there’s also health fairs, pharmacies, and at home tests.”
3). So, when I introduced this segment I referred to the warning about medications lurking in your medicine cabinet and how you need to be concerned if you suffer from hypertension. What is the connection between high blood pressure and your medicine cabinet?
“The connection with your medicine cabinet and high blood pressure were shown in a recent study, where 19% of patients in America are taking medicines that increase your blood pressure that were purchased over the counter,” Oliverio said.
This content was originally posted on the WDTV News website here.
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