Hundreds of thousands more people sought NHS advice on high blood pressure in 2025, with new figures showing a sharp rise in online searches for information about risks, symptoms and how to get tested.
The NHS high blood pressure webpage climbed from 30th most‑visited condition in 2024 to second place in 2025, receiving just over two million visits – the equivalent of one click every 15 seconds. This marks a 36% increase from the previous year’s 1.5 million visits.
High blood pressure, often called a “silent killer”, significantly increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Because it rarely causes symptoms, many people remain unaware they are affected. It is estimated that around 4.1 million people in England are living with undiagnosed high blood pressure.
The NHS is making it easier for people to get their blood pressure checked in convenient locations across the community. This includes:
- Nearly 100,000 NHS Health Checks every month
- Free blood pressure checks in most pharmacies for eligible adults, including many over 40s
- Innovative trials offering checks at dentist appointments and optometry visits
- Community‑based checks in barbershops, mosques and local venues
Latest data shows 1,438,781 people received a blood pressure check through NHS Health Checks in 2025, up from 1,418,929 in 2024.
These checks help people identify high blood pressure early, enabling them to make lifestyle changes or begin treatment to reduce the risk of serious health complications.
Adults aged 40 to 74 without a known health condition are invited for an NHS Health Check every five years, typically carried out by a healthcare professional at their GP practice.
The programme is designed to detect early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease and type 2 diabetes alongside high blood pressure.
National Medical Director for NHS England, Dr Claire Fuller, said:
“When we are flooded with unregulated online content and AI-generated summaries, it’s reassuring that more people are turning to the NHS website for trusted advice on high blood pressure.
“Millions of people are living with high blood pressure without knowing it, but this silent killer can significantly increase the risk of heart attack and stroke if left untreated, which is why we want people to come forward for checks.
“If concerned you might be at risk or have been invited for an NHS Health Check, please take up the offer or book in with your GP or pharmacy – a simple check could save your life.”
Although high blood pressure saw a substantial rise, COVID‑19 remained the most‑visited condition on NHS.uk in 2025, with 2.3 million visits, though this was 38% lower than in 2024.
Other conditions in the top ten most‑searched last year included:
- Urinary tract infections
- Chickenpox
- High cholesterol
- Shingles
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Haemorrhoids (piles)
High cholesterol remained the fifth most‑viewed condition, with 1.7 million visits.
Searches for common childhood infections such as hand, foot and mouth disease and chickenpox fell from 2024 levels but still each attracted over one million views.
The NHS says the surge in searches – combined with more people accessing checks – reflects increased public awareness of the dangers of untreated high blood pressure.
By making checks easier to access and offering information in trusted NHS channels, the health service hopes to reach people who may not otherwise realise they are at risk.
Image credit: iStock
