PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The American Heart Association of Greater Philadelphia has teamed up with a community health organization to combat a silent killer — hypertension.
Hypertension's reputation comes from its lack of symptoms. The latest data from the U.S. Department of Health shows that 68 million people nationwide have hypertension. Of the six largest U.S. cities, Philadelphia has the highest prevalence at 33%.
Community health organization Philadelphia FIGHT has been providing HIV primary care to the city's underserved community for over 30 years. Now they're teaming with the American Heart Association of Greater Philadelphia to tackle the issue.
Anita Anim, community impact director for the American Heart Association of Greater Philadelphia, said through support from the Million Hearts Project, Philadelphia FIGHT established a self-measured blood pressure monitoring program which allows healthcare providers to better diagnose and manage hypertension.
"It's a program that allows individuals to play a more active role in their blood pressure, so they encourage people to take their blood pressure regularly by providing them with a Bluetooth enabled blood pressure cuff," she explained.
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This allows patients to track their numbers several times a day and those readings are also sent to their doctor. Anim said it's important that people know their numbers, especially those most at risk.
"We're seeing African Americans and Hispanic individuals most affected, as well as women," she said. "If you don't know your numbers are high, you're not going to be able to make any lifestyle changes. If you are regularly tracking your numbers multiple times a day and they are also being sent to your provider, then you have the best care possible."
The AHA and Philadelphia FIGHT are also requiring staff members who measure blood pressure to take their course every six to 12 months, to improve measurement accuracy.