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High blood pressure is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke. Understanding the condition and knowing how to manage it is critical to preventing these life-threatening conditions.
In a new study, which was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a team of scientists found that after 15 years on an upward trend, awareness of high blood pressure and how to treat it among Americans has increased. rejected.
Published in the magazine JAMA, The study finds that an increasing percentage of adults in the United States have uncontrolled high blood pressure, which is known as the “silent killer” and a significant risk factor for severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Silent murderer
With the coronavirus pandemic actively spreading around the world, infecting more than 27 million people, people with hypertension need to control their blood pressure more than ever, as elevated blood pressure has been linked to severe COVID-19, which it can cause death.
Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that nearly half of adults in the country or 108 million adults have hypertension, which is defined as a systolic blood pressure greater than 140 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 mmHg or the use of antihypertensive drugs. Only 1 in four adults or 24 percent with hypertension have their condition under control.
Additionally, high blood pressure was a leading or contributing cause of death for more than 490,000 people in the country in 2018 alone.
Decreased awareness and control
The study authors said the downward trend could further hamper long-standing efforts to combat heart disease and stroke, the leading causes of death in the US and the world.
“Reversing this decline is important because we don’t want to lose the public health achievements built over previous decades,” said Dr. Lawrence Fine, chief of the NHLBI’s Division of Prevention and Clinical Applications and a co-author of the study.
“It is a challenge for the scientific community to investigate the causes of this unexpected downtrend, but developing more effective strategies to reverse and substantially improve blood pressure control is critical to the health of many Americans,” he added.
Researchers looked at more than 18,000 adults in the US who are over the age of 18 and have hypertension. The team surveyed the participants, who are representative of American adults between 1999 and 2000, and between 2017 and 2018.
Data for the 1999-2000 period were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which exhibited 20-year trends in knowledge, treatment, and control of high blood pressure.
At the beginning of the survey, the researchers measured the participants’ blood pressure three times and then the average was taken. Participants also completed a survey asking if they knew they had high blood pressure and if they were currently taking prescription drugs.
The researchers revealed that between 1999 and 2000, only 70 percent of the participants were aware of their hypertension, and it increased steadily to 85 percent from 2013 to 2014. However, the percentage of those who are aware decreased to 77 percent. cent between 2017 and 2018.
Of the participants who are aware of their condition, the number of those who took antihypertensives remained constant, which is 85 percent in the 1999-2000 period, 89 percent in 2013-2014 and 88 percent in 2017-2018.
“In a series of cross-sectional surveys weighted to be representative of the US adult population, the prevalence of controlled AP increased between 1999-2000 and 2007-2008, did not change significantly from 2007-2008 to 2013-2014, and then decreased after 2013-2014, ”the authors wrote in the study.
Control of blood pressure
Findings from additional studies show that of all adults with hypertension, the number who were able to control the condition increased from 32 percent in 1999-2000 to 54 percent between 2013 and 2014. However, the number dropped to 44 percent. percent between 2017 and 2014. 2018. The number of people taking blood pressure medications increased from 53 percent in 1999-2000 to 72 percent in 2013-2014, then decreased to 65 percent in 2017-2018.
The researchers said the study findings highlight the importance of continuity of care, including making regular visits to the doctor. Monitoring blood pressure is also vital for patients to be aware of their readings, as well as to inform them of the importance of taking their medications.
From 2015 to 2018, older adults over the age of 60, as well as black Americans, were less likely than adults ages 18 to 44 and white Americans to have their blood pressure controlled. However, those with health insurance were more likely to have their blood pressure under control compared to those without health insurance.
Educating patients and providers on blood pressure goals, adding effective blood pressure medications when lifestyle changes are not enough, and lowering barriers to achieving high medication adherence in a variety of settings. clinical practice are just a few strategies that can facilitate increases in blood pressure, control rates, and reduce the health disparities that we identified in the current study, ”recommended study lead author Dr. Paul Muntner and associate professor and dean of research at the College of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
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