High Blood Pressure: key points

• High blood pressure is a major risk factor for death and disease, including heart disease. 
• In 2022 an estimated 22% of people over the age of 16 in Scotland had high blood pressure.  
• Prevalence increases sharply with age, although the pattern with age differs between men and women. Prevalence is higher in men overall, but in the oldest age groups prevalence is higher in women. Almost two thirds of those over 75 years have high blood pressure.
• Many risk factors for high blood pressure can be clinically managed by lifestyle changes such as reducing salt and alcohol consumption, and quitting smoking.
• In 2023, the Scottish Primary Care Information Resource (SPIRE) estimated that 13.2% of total patients had a primary care consultation relating to high blood pressure.