Nearly one in five Midlanders are unaware they suffer from high blood pressure, according to new research published today.
The condition, also known as hypertension, is a major risk factor for strokes and other cardiovascular diseases.
Statistics released by the Stroke Association revealed 19.6 per cent of people tested in the West Midlands had undiagnosed high blood pressure.
Some of these required an urgent referral for treatment, according to the charity's researchers.
More than 19,300 people across the UK were randomly tested in April, with 23.8 per cent revealing they had hypertension.
More people in the rural South-west unknowingly had high blood pressure (29.5 per cent) than the Home Counties, London and the South.
They were also the most unlikely to understand the importance of being tested for the condition.
Professor Averil Mansfield, chairman of The Stroke Association, said: "High blood pressure has serious health implications and can lead to a stroke. It can be regulated by medication or by changes in diet and lifestyle." This causes about 40 per cent of strokes and is the main factor in heart disease. Each year 130,000 people in Britain have a stroke - 10,000 of which are under 55.
* For more information call the National Stroke helpline on 0845 30 33 100 or visit www.stroke.org.uk
