Teachers prone to hypertension

Most of the 300 public elementary and high school teachers in Cebu City were found out to have hypertension during the medical outreach mission conducted by the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) last Saturday.

Teachers availed of the free medical services to check their blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels and electrocardiogram, during the activity, dubbed as “BP ng teacher ko, Alaga ko.”

“We are now determining the causes of hypertension among the teachers,” Dr. Irma Marie Yape, chair of PHA Hypertension Division, said.

Dr. Yape said the teachers might have developed the condition due to stress from work, their kind of lifestyle and their diet.

Yape said that according to their recent study, 32 percent of the teachers are suffering from hypertension.

The PHA coordinated with the Department of Education (DepEd) in selecting the beneficiaries.

PHA Cebu president Dr. Wilfredo Ypil Jr. said the activity aimed to raise awareness among the beneficiaries that high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes will eventually lead to heart disease.

He encouraged the teachers to have a regular check-up to prevent the disease.

“I am happy to have this kind of program because I never had a check-up before,” Raymundo Abapo, a grade 5 teacher of Guadalupe Elementary School, one of the beneficiaries, said.

During the medical screenings, it was found out that Abapo’s blood sugar reached 137, which is above the normal level of 106, while his cholesterol reached 213. The normal cholesterol count is 200.

At least 20 doctors and nine nurses from the PHA-Cebu chapter rendered free medical services.

The Cebu activity was PHA’s 20th medical outreach mission. Their next targets will be Lucena City, Isabela, Laoag and Ilocos.