More Americans Suffering from High Blood Pressure

The number of Americans with high blood pressure is on the rise, due to an obesity epidemic run rampant.
More Americans Suffering from High Blood Pressure
10/15/2008
Updated:
10/15/2008

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health’s Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute announced yesterday that the number of Americans with high blood pressure is on the rise, attributing the news to an obesity epidemic run rampant across the country.

The report, which will be published in November’s issue of Hypertension, features the comparison of two National Health and Nutrition Examination surveys, one conducted 1988 to 1994 and the other conducted about a decade later from 1999 to 2004.

Lead researcher Paul Sorlie, head of the Epidemiology Branch of the institute’s Division of Prevention and Population Sciences, and his team discovered that an astounding 91.6 percent of Americans were either suffering from high blood pressure or had pre-hypertension—indicating they had a high risk of acquiring high blood pressure.

The total number of Americans suffering from hypertension increased from 50.3 percent to 55.5 percent from 1994-2004, and in that same time period, the percentage of those with pre-hypertension rose from 32.3 to 36.1 percent.

The high number of Americans who suffer or will suffer from hypertension is anchored by high numbers for the elderly. The report noted that the increase of high blood pressure rates started with women at age 40 and with men at age 60.

Among U.S. adults, 29 percent had hypertension in 2004—up from 24 percent in 1994—and 30 percent more suffer from pre-hypertension.

High blood pressure rates went up across all races, with black men, black women, and white men hit the hardest. But Sorlie’s team found encouraging statistics of how many of those affected by high blood pressure either knew of their condition or were treating it. Almost 3 in 4 of those suffering from hypertension who were surveyed said they were aware of their abnormal blood pressure, while 3 in 5 surveyed said they were treating their condition.

Dr. Theodore Kotchen of the Medical College of Wisconsin, who wrote the editorial in Hypertension on this issue, said the study was a combination of good and bad news.

“The good news about hypertension control in the U.S. is more people who have hypertension are aware of it, and more people who are aware of it are being treated, and more people being treated are being controlled,” Kotchen said.

But, he continued: “hypertension remains uncontrolled in an unacceptably large number of individuals. We’ve made some progress, but more work needs to be done.”

Sorlie offered advice to Americans who are suffering or at risk of suffering from high blood pressure.

He urged Americans to “develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle, and control your weight through exercise and health eating behaviors.”

 “For those who have hypertension, additional efforts are needed to diagnose, treat and effectively control hypertension to reduce the adverse outcomes associated with hypertension,” he said.