![\"Headache](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/headache-pain-anxiety-and-senior-woman-thinking-of-mental-health-problem-on-the-living-room-6755141..jpeg\" "\\"Headache")
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Persistent morning headaches could be a subtle sign of high blood pressure (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n
Millions of people may be living with an undiagnosed \u201csilent killer\u201d condition \u2014 high blood pressure<\/a>. When the force of blood pushing through the artery walls is consistently too high, this can cause damage to blood vessels and organs, increasing risk of a wide range of health problems including heart attacks<\/a>, strokes, kidney disease and dementia<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dr Oliver Segal, a consultant cardiologist and electrophysiologist at HCA Healthcare UK The Harley Street Clinic, told the Express early warning signs are often overlooked. He explained: \u201cHigh blood pressure (hypertension) is frequently symptomless, which is why it remains underdiagnosed. Many people feel completely well while their blood pressure is persistently elevated. When symptoms do occur, they are often subtle and easily dismissed.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more: Warning over major shortage of popular painkiller \u2014 ‘ration it now’\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n Read more: Major supermarket offers free blood pressure checks at 350 UK stores <\/a><\/p>\n Dr Segal highlighted eight common symptoms that people should be aware of. These are:\u00a0<\/p>\n Persistent\u00a0morning headaches, particularly at the back of the headDizziness or light-headednessBlurred vision\u00a0or visual disturbancesShortness of breath\u00a0during mild exertionPalpitations\u00a0or a pounding sensation in the chestUnexplained fatigueNosebleeds\u00a0in more severe or sudden elevationsChest tightness or\u00a0pressure<\/p>\n He added: \u201cThese symptoms are non-specific and frequently attributed to stress, dehydration, poor sleep<\/a>, hormonal changes or anxiety.<\/p>\n \u201cIn many cases, the first indication of high\u00a0blood\u00a0pressure\u00a0is not a symptom at all, but a complication discovered incidentally\u00a0 such as abnormal kidney function on routine\u00a0blood\u00a0tests, retinal changes during an eye test, or signs of heart strain on an ECG or echocardiogram.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of this, routine\u00a0blood\u00a0pressure\u00a0checks are essential\u00a0 even for individuals who feel entirely healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n Chronically raised blood pressure forces the heart to pump against increased resistance and causes thickening of the heart muscle, Dr Segal said.<\/p>\n Other consequences include reduced elasticity of arteries, damage to the inner lining of blood vessels, and accelerated development of atherosclerosis (the build up of plaque in vessels).<\/p>\n Over time, this can increase risk of problems including coronary artery disease and heart attack, heart failure, irregular heart rhythm, kidney disease, peripheral arterial disease and cognitive impairment or dementia.<\/p>\n Tesco is offering free blood pressure checks at its pharmacy locations this month (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n Dr Segal, a cardiologist with 30 years\u2019 experience, added: \u201cIt is often called a \u2018silent killer\u2019 because people can live with uncontrolled hypertension for many years without warning signs, only to present with a major cardiovascular event.<\/p>\n \u201cThe damage accumulates gradually and painlessly, which is why early identification and sustained control are so important.\u201d<\/p>\n Around five milliion people in the UK are feared to be living with undiagnosed high blood pressure in the UK.<\/p>\n The British Heart Foundation has partnered with Tesco<\/a> to\u00a0 offer free blood pressure checks<\/a> at more than 350 Tesco Pharmacy locations in February, to mark Heart Month.<\/p>\n The charity\u2019s chief scientific and medical officer, Professor Bryan Williams, said: \u201cHigh blood pressure affects\u00a0roughly one\u00a0in three adults in the\u00a0UK, yet many people\u00a0remain\u00a0unaware they have it because it usually presents no obvious signs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it goes undetected, it can significantly raise the risk of\u00a0heart\u00a0attacks and strokes, which is why\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0so important for as many people as possible to get their blood pressure checked.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough high blood pressure can lead to serious health problems if ignored, the positive news is that it can be managed. Know your numbers this\u00a0Heart\u00a0Month.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Persistent morning headaches could be a subtle sign of high blood pressure (Image: Getty) Millions of people may…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":436869,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[6612,15427,59,102,1554,159214,6624,62947,723,56,159213,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-436868","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-blood-pressure","9":"tag-cardiac-health","10":"tag-gb","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-health-section","13":"tag-heart-month","14":"tag-high-blood-pressure","15":"tag-silent-killer","16":"tag-tesco","17":"tag-uk","18":"tag-undiagnosed-condition","19":"tag-united-kingdom","20":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=436868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436868\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=436868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=436868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=436868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Close](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/close-up-of-doctor-checking-blood-pressure-with-manual-gauge-and-stethoscope-professional-6755163.jp.jpeg\" "\\"Close")
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