Rotary event marks 10 years of stroke prevention

This year Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (Rotary GB&I) celebrates 10 years of supporting stroke prevention across the UK. Over the last decade an estimated 200,000 people have had their blood pressure checked at Know Your Blood Pressure events hosted by Rotary with the Stroke Association. Over 30,000 people were tested in 2012; this year the hope is to reach even more as 40% of strokes could be prevented if undiagnosed high blood pressure was identified and treated.

There are 152,000 strokes in the UK every year, which works out at one every five minutes. High blood pressure is the biggest risk factor contributing to stroke, but it has no symptoms and can affect people of any age. 16 million people in the UK have high blood pressure yet many of them don