BP control in US dropped more than 11% from 2013 to 2018
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Between 2013 and 2018, the number of patients with hypertension who had their BP under control dropped more than 11%, researchers reported.
According to research presented at the virtual American Heart Association Hypertension Scientific Session, in recent years the average systolic BP rose among all age groups included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data set.
“We cannot assume improvement in blood pressure management will continue, even after 35 years of success,” Brent M. Egan, MD, professor of medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville, said in a press release. “High blood pressure is a serious health risk and deserves constant attention to prevent as many heart attacks and strokes as possible.”
Utilizing data from NHANES, investigators assessed changes in BP among participants aged 18 to 39 years, 40 to 59 years and 60 years or older, and compared data on BP control, average BP and BP management across two time periods (2009-2012 vs. 2015-2018).
Researchers determined the highest prevalence of controlled BP occurred from 2013 to 2014, with 54.5% of adults with hypertension having their BP successfully managed. This percentage declined to 48% for the 2015-2016 NHANES survey and then to 43.4% for the 2017-2018 survey, with a drop from 2013 to 2018 of 11.1% (P < .001).
From 2009 to 2018, the percentage of adults aged 40 to 59 years with controlled BP dropped from approximately 56.3% to 46.6%, according to the presentation.
In addition, BP management among adults aged at least 60 years dropped from 53.6% in 2009 to 47.9% in 2018 (P = .02).
Moreover, average systolic BP rose across all age subgroups (P .01).
“A closer look at our findings revealed the fall in blood pressure control in older adults was mainly due to less effective use of blood pressure medication and management, so we need to focus on making sure the level of treatment is adequate for this age group. We found the decrease in blood pressure management among the 40- to 59-year-old age group was mainly due to lack of awareness of and treatment for hypertension,” Egan said in the release.
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Egan BM, et al. Presentation MP33. Presented at: American Heart Association Hypertension Scientific Session; Sept. 10-13, 2020 (virtual meeting).
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