West Columbia, S.C. – Lexington Medical Center will host a free blood pressure screening at Columbiana Centre on Monday, February 26, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The screenings will take place in the mall’s Belk Court.
High blood pressure is a serious problem in South Carolina. More than one third of adults has high blood pressure, and some don’t even know.
Blood pressure is measured using two numbers. The first number, called systolic blood pressure, represents the pressure in your blood vessels when the heart contracts during a beat. The second number, called diastolic blood pressure, represents the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart rests between beats. Generally speaking, a healthy blood pressure is lower than 120/80.
“I encourage patients with high blood pressure to know their numbers, eat a nutritious diet and exercise,” said Kenya Cooper, MD, of Lexington family Practice Gilbert, a Lexington Medical Center physician practice. “Taking blood pressure medications regularly and as directed can prevent many life-altering complications that will inevitably arise from uncontrolled high blood pressure.”
Over time, high blood pressure causes blood vessels to narrow, weaken or harden. That makes it harder for blood to pump throughout the body. Some common complications of high blood pressure include stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, eye damage, peripheral vascular disease, aneurysms and even cognitive damage.
Lexington Medical Center wants community members to “Just Say Know” to heart disease by learning about their risk factors and knowing their blood pressure numbers. To take a blood pressure quiz, visit LexMed.com/Know.
About Lexington Medical Center
Lexington Medical Center is a 438-bed hospital in West Columbia, South Carolina. It anchors a health care network that includes five community medical centers and employs a staff of more than 6,500 health care professionals. The network also has cardiovascular and oncology care affiliated with Duke Health, an occupational health center, the largest skilled nursing facility in the Carolinas, an Alzheimer’s care center and approximately 60 physician practices. Lexington Medical Center operates one of the busiest Emergency departments in South Carolina, treating approximately 85,000 patients each year. The hospital delivers more than 3,500 babies each year and performs more than 23,000 surgeries. Lexington Medical Center is currently undergoing the largest hospital expansion in South Carolina history by creating a new patient tower that will open in 2019. Lexington Medical Center has a reputation for the highest quality care. For more information, visit LexMed.com.
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