Know Your Numbers! Week is the UK’s biggest blood pressure testing and awareness event. Every September, blood pressure checks are taken by thousands to prevent heart attacks and strokes. 

Why it’s important to Know Your Numbers 

• Hypertension (high blood pressure) is the leading cause of lifestyle-related brain haemorrhages and results in 10 million deaths a year worldwide.  

• On average, a third of the population has high blood pressure, with 50% of those people going undiagnosed, putting them at risk of brain haemorrhage and other health complications. 

• High blood pressure is a major contributing factor to haemorrhagic stroke. Every year, there are 4.6 million cases of haemorrhagic stroke globally, and only 3 out 5 of those people will survive within one month, resulting in 3 million people each year being lost to a brain haemorrhage. 

What we’re doing 

Brain haemorrhages are the most fatal subtype of stroke, and even if someone does survive, they will likely face severe disability. 

In partnership with The Natalie Kate Moss Trust (NKMT), we are committed to changing these statistics. Our collaboration has seen more focus placed on this area of research, increased numbers of researchers, and a centre of excellence for brain research. 

This work is beginning to translate into real results and real treatments that are now being tested more widely in the NHS, following local evidence in Manchester that they can reduce mortality at one month by 10% after a brain haemorrhage. 

Preventing the preventable  

The Natalie Kate Moss Trust (NKMT) was set up in 2012 by the Moss family, following the sudden death of Natalie at the age of 26 after an unexpected brain haemorrhage. 

Focusing on turning this tragedy into something positive, their mission is to empower more people to understand how to prevent lifestyle-related brain haemorrhages from occurring, while generating funds to support ground-breaking research at the Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre to treat them when they do. 

NKMT has grown year on year since it was established and it is this growth that ultimately enables them to support the research being done by Professor Stuart Allan, our Centre co-director, and his team, who are working to create better outcomes for haemorrhagic stroke victims. 

The NKMT prevention campaign highlights the importance of hypertension as a cause of brain haemorrhages. They aim to tackle this issue through awareness campaigns, working with employers and strategic partners to change people’s behaviours and habits of blood pressure monitoring. 

To find out more, visit the NKMT website, or follow them on Instagram and LinkedIn. 

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