Measuring your heart rate is an easy way to gauge one's heart health, as it gives a real-time snapshot of the heart muscle functions. Unfortunately very few Ugandans go for routine checkups until something unusual happens.
Dr. Joseline Rwebembera, a cardiologist at Uganda Heart Institute told NBS TV, that most people do not take time to check their blood pressure. She warns that a high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, kidney failure and stroke.
Dr. Rwebembera said that even those who know about their blood pressure status, only 25% are on treatment.
"Each of the heart diseases will display a different presentation, there are some complaints that cut across all heart diseases, like episodic chest pain and difficulty in breathing," Dr. Rwebembera said.
Dr. Rwebembera said that smoking, too much salt intake and obesity among other factors exposes one to heart disease risks.
She urged the public to conduct regular blood pressure checks, at least twice a year.
"High blood pressure is quite common. To give you statistics in Uganda, on average, 1 out of every 4 adults has high blood pressure, but of the people with high blood pressure, it's less than 25% that know their blood pressure is high," Dr. Rwebembera said.
Dr. Rwebembera emphasizes that regular exercising, weight loss, consumption of fruits, can help to prevent the risk.
