The reading most men never ask about: hypertension found at the annual medical

Ask a man on your team when he last had his blood pressure taken. Then watch what happens to his face.

Some will laugh. Some will say they feel fine. A few will answer honestly: they have no idea. That answer is the reason this article exists.

Why men, and why now

November is a good month to ask the question. Movember is a global men's health movement that funds research and programmes on mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.^[3] International Men's Day follows on 19 November 2026, with the 2026 theme "The Future is Everyone".^[4]

A small correction. You may see November called Men's Health Month in South Africa. The Department of Health's 2026 awareness calendar places Men's Health Month in June.^[5] November belongs to Movember and International Men's Day. We use them as a prompt, not as an official health month.

What the numbers say

The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa reports that high blood pressure is behind 1 in every 2 strokes and 2 in every 5 heart attacks.^[1] It is called a silent killer because there are rarely any visible signs. In some cases, usually with very high pressure, people may notice headaches, visual disturbances, nose bleeds, nausea, vomiting, facial flushing or sleepiness.^[1] Most never do.

The gap between having it and knowing it is wider for men. Health-e News reports that, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa, hypertension affects around 45% of men and 48% of women over 15 (figures that match the 2016 national survey), and the Foundation's nutrition lead says only about 19% of men are aware they have it, compared with 29% of women.^[2] The same article quotes a vascular surgeon who says surgeons are seeing more young patients, some in their thirties and forties, with kidney failure linked directly to uncontrolled hypertension.^[2]

None of this means your team is in crisis. It means the quiet gap is large, and a workplace is one of the few places where adult men reliably see a nurse.

What a reading at the annual medical can and cannot do

A blood pressure measurement is two numbers, systolic over diastolic, for example 140/90 mm Hg.^[1][8] The Foundation says high blood pressure is diagnosed when either or both values are persistently raised on more than one occasion, when measured correctly, or when it is dangerously high on one occasion.^[1] South African guidance (Southern African Hypertension Society, 2014) defines hypertension as a persistent office reading of 140/90 mm Hg or higher and recommends repeating the measurement on at least three separate occasions within four weeks, unless the reading is 180/110 mm Hg or higher. A reading that high should be seen by a doctor promptly.^[7]

That guidance does two jobs.

• It limits what a medical can say. One high reading, taken on a rushed morning, is a flag. It is not a diagnosis, and a nurse at a clinic or a mobile unit will not tell a worker he has hypertension on that basis.
• It shows why the flag still matters. If the reading is raised, the next step is to be checked again, and to see a doctor, who decides what it means and what to do. A reading of 180/110 mm Hg or higher does not wait for those repeat visits: the worker should see a doctor promptly.

Blood pressure is part of every Care Net Consultants medical across our industry pages, from construction to agriculture to food handling.^[6] An occupational health nursing practitioner reviews each one.^[6] If a reading stands out, the nurse tells the worker and recommends he follow up with his own doctor or clinic.

What employers can do, without turning into doctors

The Foundation advises that blood pressure should be measured at least once every year. This is the Foundation's advice, not a legal requirement.^[1] For many workers, the annual medical is the only time that happens. A few steps help:

1. Make the medical routine, not a punishment. Workers who see it as a check on them will avoid it. Workers who see it as a check for them will turn up.
2. Tell your team what the number means in plain words. Two numbers. Persistently raised on more than one occasion is the test, unless the reading is 180/110 mm Hg or higher. A single high reading is a reason to go back, not a reason to panic. A reading that high should be seen by a doctor promptly.
3. Do not ask for individual results. A reading is health information about a person. Health information is special personal information under the Protection of Personal Information Act. Ask your provider how results are shared, and let the worker decide what to tell you.
4. Back the follow up. A worker who is told to see a doctor and then loses a day's pay for it will not go. A flexible hour or a note can do more than a poster.

The Foundation also lists lifestyle changes that can improve blood pressure, including eating less salt, following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating pattern of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and fish, and, where a doctor advises, medication.^[1] Those are for the worker and his doctor, not the supervisor.

The cost of not asking

The cost is not dramatic on any single day. It builds. Health-e quotes the Foundation as saying that 91.1% of people with hypertension are either unscreened, undiagnosed, untreated or have uncontrolled blood pressure.^[2] That is a population figure, not a workplace one, and we will not pretend we know your team's number.

What we do know is that the first reading is the cheapest one. It takes a minute, needs no needle and can be done at your gate.

A simple plan for 19 November

If you do one thing this month, ask your team to know their numbers. Schedule the annual medical, share this article and invite questions. If anyone mentions a family history, a recent headache pattern or a past high reading, tell them to see their own doctor.

Questions people ask

This article is general information for employers and is not legal or medical advice. Read the regulations for the full requirements and speak to a qualified practitioner about individual health concerns.