'A major public health challenge': Uncontrolled hypertension hits older women, younger men the hardest
Uncontrolled hypertension is more likely to impact women 70 years of age and older and men ages 20-49, according to new data presented at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2021. This trend is even true for patients who are actively taking blood pressure-lowering medications.
“Blood pressure control remains a major public health challenge that impacts even those being treated for the disease,” study author Aayush Visaria, MD, a postdoctoral research fellow at Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research at Rutgers University, said in a statement.
This study’s authors tracked 13,253 adults who were taking prescription drugs to treat hypertension.
Fifty-two percent of patients were women, and the average patient age was 57 years old. Seventy-one percent were non-Hispanic white.
Data came from the 1999 to 2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a biannual, nationally representative survey conducted by the CDC.
The group examined rates of hypertension control using and older and newer definition of high blood pressure: either greater than 140/90 mm Hg, as defined in 2014 Joint National Commission guidelines, or greater than 130/80 mm Hg, as defined in 2017 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines.
The group's findings included:
- Differences in the odds of uncontrolled hypertension were similar regardless of the guideline criteria for high blood pressure.
- Overall, 34% of those in the study had uncontrolled hypertension.
- From ages 20 to 29, the odds of having uncontrolled hypertension were 59% higher for men compared to women, based on the American Heart Association guideline definition of high blood pressure. Among those ages 30-39, men were 70% more likely to be uncontrolled, and for those aged 40-49, men were 47% more likely to be uncontrolled.
- From ages 50 to 69, women and men had similar odds of uncontrolled hypertension.
- For ages 70 and older, using the American Heart Association guideline definition of hypertension, women had 29% (age 70-79) to 63% (age 80+) higher odds of presenting with uncontrolled hypertension than men.
“These results indicate that women 70 years and older and men less than 50 years with hypertension may have increased risk of uncontrolled hypertension and may benefit from more frequent blood pressure monitoring,” Visaria said. “In general, there is a need to increase awareness about uncontrolled hypertension among older women and younger men, and further studies need to be done to understand the reasons behind this phenomenon.”
Click here for more information on the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2021, which runs Sept. 27-29.