IT conjures up the image of being a stress-free and healthy place to live but the Highlands is the area where people suffer the highest blood pressure in Scotland
It is also the area with the seventh-highest blood pressure in the UK, putting its residents at increased risk of stroke, according to new data released by the Stroke Association.
South Lanarkshire comes ninth and Angus 10th. However, people living in West Lothian had some of the lowest blood pressure readings in the UK.
The charity released the results of more than 54,200 blood pressure readings taken at their Know Your Blood Pressure events.
But the hypertension blackspots do not match the areas of the most profound urban multiple deprivation.
The worst area was north-east Lincolnshire, followed by Shropshire. Then it is Denbighshire and Carmarthenshire in Wales, Southend-on-Sea in Essex and then back to Wales to Newport. Worcestershire separates Highlands from the other two Scottish regions.
The Stroke Association said there is no obvious reason why some areas are worse than others.
High blood pressure is the single biggest risk factor for stroke and the cause of half of all strokes. Around 13,000 people have a stroke in Scotland every year and it is the leading cause of severe adult disability. There are more than one million people in the UK living with the effects of stroke. The ideal blood pressure is 120/80mmHg yet one in eight counties in the UK has an average blood pressure of 140/80mmHg or above, meaning they have an increased risk of stroke.
Elspeth Molony, deputy director of the Stroke Association in Scotland, said: "High blood pressure affects between one in three and one in four adults in Scotland, yet it has no symptoms, so unfortunately many people are completely unaware that they have it.
"From the readings collected at our Know Your Blood Pressure events, we know that many parts of the UK have high blood pressure or are bordering on high which is extremely concerning.
"High blood pressure can be brought on by poor diet, smoking and stress and it often increases with age."
Dr Margaret Somerville, director of public health at NHS Highland, said: "We fully support the Know Your Blood Pressure campaign which is calling for everyone to get their blood pressure checked.
"You can help control your blood pressure by eating a healthy diet and taking regular exercise. Reducing stress and giving up smoking are also two ways which can help lower your blood pressure."
Dr Michael Foxley, who was a GP in Lochaber for more than 30 years, said: "I am sure there are many reasons. Maybe we are monitoring our blood pressure more frequently than other areas, but no doubt alcohol, diet and age also play their part."
One high blood pressure sufferer spoke of its impact on her.The 34-year-old woman, who is a middle manager in the public sector in Inverness, said she had been on medication to lower her blood pressure for nine years.
"I was 25 when I discovered I had high blood pressure. I was dizzy but thought it was a middle ear infection because I had one before. However, this time it wasn't clearing up. I went to the doctor who took my blood pressure and it was absolutely through the roof," she said.
"I was shocked because I thought it was only the elderly or really unfit people who had hypertension The doctor himself was really surprised because I had lost a lot of weight, was exercising regularly and was young."
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