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Hypertension-related death rate rising in the US
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Death due to hypertension-related causes increased between 2000 and 2013, following a similar increase observed between 1980 and 1998, according to a data brief issued by the CDC.
The report incorporated data collected from cause-of-death files from the National Vital Statistics System on hypertension-related deaths between 2000 and 2013 among patients aged 45 years or older. A death was considered related to hypertension if the death certificate made any mention of hypertension.
Over the evaluated time period, the unadjusted number of hypertension-related deaths increased by 61.8%, from 245,220 to 396,675. After adjustment for age, the hypertension-related death rate increased by 23.1%, from 255.1 deaths per 100,000 people to 314.1 per 100,000 people. During the same time period, the mortality rate for all other causes combined decreased by 21%, from 2,032.7 per 100,000 people to 1,605.9.
The increase in hypertension-related death was observed in both men and women, and among patients aged 45 to 64 years as well as those aged 85 years or older, according to the report. Women had a higher mortality rate than men among those aged 85 years or older, but a lower rate than men in younger age groups.
The age-adjusted hypertension-related mortality rate increased by 6.8% among non-Hispanic blacks between 2000 and 2005, then decreased by 9% between 2005 and 2013. The rate increased by 29.8% over the evaluated period among non-Hispanic whites, and increased by 18.9% from 2000 to 2005, decreased by 5.4% between 2005 and 2009 and increased again by 8.3% between 2009 and 2013 among Hispanics.
The researchers noted that, while the adjusted rate of hypertension-related death remained higher among non-Hispanic black patients compared with Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites, the difference between these groups narrowed over the evaluated period.
Hypertension was the underlying cause of death for one out of six deaths related to hypertension in both 2000 and 2013. The majority of deaths involving hypertension were attributed to heart disease, stroke, cancer or diabetes, both in 2000 (65% of deaths) and 2013 (54%).
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