High blood pressure in Detroit? Keep an eye on your A1c

Heart Health

The big picture: Dr. Puja Uppal says "...high blood pressure doesn't have to be a death sentence!"

In the news: Did you know that 34.5% of the adults living in Wayne County have high blood pressure?

As a resident of Michigan, here's 1 way to manage and better understand your high blood pressure.

Control and Monitor Your Blood Sugars

My people don't know that diabetes can cause a lot of harm to your cardiovascular system. People who have uncontrolled diabetes are at serious risk of getting strokes and heart attacks. This can lead to deaths!
If your diabetes harms your kidneys, then you're at risk of getting high blood pressure.
3.7% of you living in Wayne County have had a stroke. And 38.4% of you living in Wayne County are obese.

You need to know that your A1c blood value is a very good indicator of your overall blood sugar health. (CDC)

Your A1c value should, ideally, be below 5.7.
If your A1c is 6.5 or above, then you're classified as a person who has diabetes.

Your A1c value can be lowered very easily. Simple steps like taking the right medicines, attaining slight weight loss, and regular exercise can turn your A1c value around.

Some medicines that are used to manage your A1c values: Metformin, Jardiance (Empagliflozin), and Semaglutide (Ozempic & Rybelsus).

Here's some sobering data about the number of people who die each year from High Blood Pressure.

You should know that you can have High Blood Pressure without experiencing any symptoms.

Talk to your doctor and keep an eye on your blood pressure & A1c value.

You should know that if caught early, high blood pressure & diabetes can be well managed.

The Health Standard Newswire