Many people were still unaware of the importance of tracking their blood pressure, Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne said yesterday.

Global figures show that half of those suffering from high blood pressure are unaware of the problem.

Speaking on the occasion of World Hypertension Day, Mr Fearne highlighted a series of initiatives taken by the Health Department to foster a healthier dietary culture that included physical exercise.

Mr Fearne said that, apart from education, the Health Department was doing its utmost to make life easier for patients already suffering from high blood pressure. Among other measures, doctors at public health centres had, from the start of the year, been given the possibility of listing blood-pressure-related medicine on the fifth schedule (karta safra), according to the eligibility of individual patients.

National statistics show that about 22 per cent of the Maltese population suffer from high blood pressure, with the figure rising to 45 per cent among the elderly population.

High blood pressure is often referred to as a silent killer

Earlier this year, Mr Fearne ruffled feathers when he floated the idea of reducing the salt content of Maltese bread after an analysis of a large number of food products highlighted an unhealthy amount of salt in the traditional loaf.

High blood pressure rarely has noticeable symptoms and is often referred to as a “silent killer”.

If left untreated, it can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, strokes, kidney failure and other health problems.

The only way of knowing there is a problem is to have one’s blood pressure measured.

Lifestyle changes can help reduce high blood pressure, including eating a healthy, low-salt, low-fat, balanced diet, being active, cutting down on alcohol, quitting smoking and drinking less coffee, tea and other caffeine-rich drinks.