Lloydspharmacy Reports Young Brits' Blood Pressure Rising

COVENTRY, England, October 21, 2010 - Lloydspharmacy has announced the publication of a new study that reveals
35 per cent of 16-34 year olds had high blood pressure readings.

The study, which involved 8568 people over the age of 16, showed that
only one in four had an ideal or normal blood pressure reading. Alarmingly,
four per cent of those under the age of 34 had readings which showed severe
or very severe hypertension.

The average blood pressure for the UK gives cause for concern, with a
reading of 140/86, pushing the country into the hypertensive category. Across
the UK various pressure points were identified, with the average blood
pressure in the East of England hitting 143/86 and 143/85 in the South West.

Research conducted by Lloydspharmacy shows that more than seven in ten
adults in the UK have never had their blood pressure checked and, with one in
five doing no forms of exercise, it is perhaps no surprise that the nation's
blood pressure is soaring.

As the population ages, the situation only seems to worsen, as one in ten
adults over the age of 55 showed signs of severe or very severe hypertension,
putting themselves at serious risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Men seem to be at a higher risk of high blood pressure (
www.lloydspharmacy.com/wps/portal/services/bloodpressure) than women
with three in four classed as having high normal blood pressure or some level
of hypertension, but a high percentage of women are still at risk as more
than 67 per cent of nearly 3,000 women tested over the age of 55 showed signs
of hypertension.

Shafeeque Mohammed, clinical pharmacist and heart health expert at
Lloydspharmacy, said: "Although we must bear in mind that a one-off blood
pressure test is not conclusive, cumulatively the average readings were
higher than anticipated. It was particularly worrying to see the number of
younger people with readings that put them in the hypertensive category. We
would certainly want to explore this further."

Professor O' Brien, Professor of Cardiovascular Pharmacology at The
Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College
Dublin, added: "Lack of blood pressure control increases the chances of
cardiovascular problems such as strokes, heart attacks or kidney problems.

"Recent evidence shows that although prescribing of blood
pressure-lowering drugs has increased, BP control has not improved. It is
apparent that prescribing alone is not the answer - people of all ages need
to take their blood pressure seriously and re-evaluate their lifestyle to
reduce the risk of hypertension. I applaud the efforts that Lloydspharmacy is
making to promote awareness of blood pressure and in encouraging people to
get their blood pressure checked on a regular basis."

Notes to Editors:

This study is an analysis of 8586 blood pressure tests, which were
conducted between January and June 2010 both in pharmacy and during the
Lloydspharmacy Healthy Heart Sofa Tour, which visited a number of major
cities across the UK.

About Lloydspharmacy

Lloydspharmacy has over 1650 pharmacies across the UK. These are based
predominantly in community and health centre locations. The company employs
over 17,000 staff and dispenses over 151 million prescription items annually,
both in-pharmacy and via its online chemist (www.lloydspharmacy.com).

Lloydspharmacy, which is a community pharmacy, has primary care at the
heart of its business. This is why it has launched a range of products aimed
at improving community health such as affordable blood pressure monitors
(www.lloydspharmacy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Browse?storeId=90&categoryId=33337&catalogId=1008&langId=-1)
and allergy relievers, as well as a suite of convenient professional health
check services including free blood pressure and diabetes testing, and
cholesterol and heart checks in the comfort of a private consultation room.
Lloydspharmacy also offers an online doctor
(onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy.com/) service This confidential
service is registered with the Care Quality Commission and complies with the
highest standards of clinical care.

(Due to the length of these URLs, it may be necessary to copy and paste
the hyperlinks into your Internet browser's URL address field. Remove the
space if one exists.)

    For more information please contact:

    Claire Connolly
    Lloydspharmacy Press Office
    Sapphire Court
    Walsgrave Triangle
    Coventry
    CV2 2TX
    +44(0)2476-432192

    www.lloydspharmacy.com

For more information please contact: Claire Connolly, Lloydspharmacy Press Office, Sapphire Court, Walsgrave Triangle, Coventry, CV2 2TX, +44(0)2476-432192