Strokes in the UK will rise by almost 42% without concerted action to reduce people’s risk, a leading charity has warned. New estimates released by the Stroke Association suggest that there will be more than 151,000 strokes a year by 2035 – the equivalent of 414 people every day. She had high blood pressure in pregnancy, known as gestational hypertension. “I had no idea how dangerous my blood pressure really was,” Ms Arnopp said. So, my message now is simple but urgent: don’t ignore high blood pressure.