Dr Susan Connolly, Integrated Care Cardiologist, Galway University Hospital, who was speaking at an Oireachtas Cardiovascular Health Briefing, said that if detected early, high blood pressure, know by its medical term hypertension, can be better managed to greatly reduce cardiovascular risk factors.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal now is to foster a prevention-focused, evidence-based, cost-effective pathway in partnership with patients that allows them to better manage hypertension and significantly reduce cardiovascular risk,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She was among a group of leading specialists who made the presentation for improved services in advance of World Hypertension Day next Sunday.<\/p>\n
The medics told TDs and Senators that stroke remains a leading cause of death and long-term disability, yet up to 80pc of strokes are preventable.<\/p>\n
The delegation which also included patient advocates called for the establishment of national cardiovascular risk prevention clinics which they said is key to moving away from the inconsistent and delayed-detection care that is currently a feature of the health system.<\/p>\n
They outlined the \u201cpreventable nature of cardiovascular disease and the urgent need to strengthen prevention-focused care in Ireland to align with international best-practice, and the wider EU\u2019s cardiovascular health ambitions\u201d.<\/p>\n
May is also \u2018May Measure Month\u2019, a global campaign dedicated to increasing public awareness of blood pressure as a key health indicator.<\/p>\n
Hypertension is one of the most significant, and most addressable, risk factors driving cardiovascular disease and stroke.<\/p>\n
In Ireland, stroke remains a leading cause of death and long-term disability, yet up to 80pc of strokes are preventable through earlier detection and better management of cardiovascular risk factors, particularly high blood pressure.<\/p>\n
Professor R\u00f3n\u00e1n Collins, Consultant Geriatrician and Stroke Medicine, Tallaght University Hospital, said: \u201cStroke and cardiovascular disease continue to be leading causes of death and disability, with hypertension the silent, modifiable driver of risk.<\/p>\n
“Prevention is achievable, but requires a deliberate decision to detect earlier, act earlier and more consistently, moving from pilots and pockets of excellence to national delivery in the form of cardiovascular risk prevention clinics that align with the EU Safe Hearts plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senator Gerard Craughwell, hosting the event in Leinster House, said: \u201cWorld Hypertension Day is the moment to move the conversation beyond awareness and towards coordinated action.<\/p>\n
“Today\u2019s discussion adds valuable and diverse perspectives to this vitally important area of cardiovascular health, as we consider how policy and clinical practice can deliver measurable change.\u201d<\/p>\n
The discussion in Leinster House looked at current gaps and opportunities in detecting and managing hypertension and cardiovascular risk in the community and the critical role of prevention\u2011led, integrated care in reducing avoidable disease and health system pressure.<\/p>\n
Attendees at the briefing also heard how stronger national and European cardiovascular health strategies can materially reduce the burden of stroke and heart disease in Ireland.<\/p>\n
The Leinster House event began with a national \u2018call-to-action\u2019 for patient involvement in the development of a clear pathway to support the effectiveness of the new clinics.<\/p>\n
The University of Galway will lead the development of a plain\u2011language, patient\u2011friendly resistant hypertension pathway, informed by how people actually understand and describe their blood pressure. <\/p>\n
Patient engagement will run throughout the summer, with finalisation of the pathway and outputs proposed for September 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dr Susan Connolly, Integrated Care Cardiologist, Galway University Hospital, who was speaking at an Oireachtas Cardiovascular Health Briefing,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":445526,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[4593,103,61,60],"class_list":["post-445525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-eilish-oregan","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=445525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/445526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=445525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=445525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=445525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}