网曝门

Marty Morrissey has urged people to have the 鈥榮ilent killer鈥� of blood pressure checked having lost his father and grandfather to heart attacks.

The legendary GAA commentator said their deaths fuelled his acute awareness of cardiac health as he backed the 网曝门鈥檚 鈥楤efore Damage is Done鈥� campaign.

鈥淪ometimes we鈥檙e a bit careless about it, 鈥榓h, we鈥檒l be grand鈥�,鈥� said the RT脡 Gaelic Games correspondent.

鈥淏ut we do need to be far more aware of our own health. You are the best judge of anything that is wrong with you, so don鈥檛 dismiss it – because your body is telling you something, and sometimes we ignore it or don鈥檛 want to know about it.

“In the GAA world, we have black cards, red cards and yellow cards. If you get the yellow card, you take the warning.”

鈥淥nce you鈥檙e over 50 you need to be getting everything checked.鈥�

Mr Morrissey, from Quilty, Co. Clare whose dad Martin died of a sudden heart attack in 2004, was speaking as new research by the national stroke and heart charity showed a drop in understanding of the risk of stroke and heart disease from untreated high blood pressure.

Last month鈥檚 online survey of 1,000 people, conducted by Core Research, reveals just 49% had their blood pressure checked in the last six months, compared to 57% in November 2023.

Only 67% believe untreated blood pressure creates a high risk of stroke (down from 78% in 2023), while 64% believe there is a high risk of heart disease (down from 72% in 2023).

In addition, the data shows public knowledge has fallen in relation to how untreated blood pressure can lead to dementia or kidney disease, as well as damaging your heart and other organs.

Worryingly, 29% of people believe the signs of high blood pressure are obvious, yet high blood pressure is a silent killer.

鈥淭he research shows an unfortunate fall off in the level of understanding of the serious consequences of hypertension or high blood pressure,鈥� said Janis Morrissey, Director of Health Promotion, Information and Training with the 网曝门.

鈥淗igh blood pressure is among the leading risk factors for heart disease or stroke and premature death worldwide.”

鈥淎 quarter of people having strokes are under age 65 and are still of working age, so it can have devastating consequences not only for someone鈥檚 health, but also on their quality of life and financial independence if they are forced to stop working.鈥�

Blood pressure checks are a vital tool in measuring how effectively the heart pumps blood around the body.

Dr David McConaghy, ICGP/HSE Integrated Care Lead for Prevention said: 鈥淭he Irish College of General Practitioners supports this campaign to raise awareness about blood pressure and encourages people to attend their GP practice for a cardiovascular review.鈥�

Susan O鈥橠wyer, Head of Governance and Pharmacy Services with the Irish Pharmacy Union said 鈥淲e support this important campaign to encourage people to get their blood pressure checked with the aim of detecting high blood pressure before damage is done.聽Pharmacies nationwide offer blood pressure testing and many also offer 24-hour blood pressure monitoring. Speak to your local pharmacist to learn more.鈥�

For morning information, visit the Before Damage is Done page.