News - Hypertension Week of March 23, 2003/ Vol. 2 No. 12

Study: Lack of Blood Pressure Knowledge Hinders Control

Even though the vast majority of older Americans have had their blood pressure checked recently, almost half do not know their measurements.

Such limited knowledge, according to researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina, is a bigger barrier to blood pressure control than the cost of hypertensive medications. The results of their survey will be reported in the March 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The researchers reviewed the results of phone interviews of 1,503 people who were 50 years old and over. Although 94 percent of those surveyed claimed to have had at least one blood pressure test during the past year, 46 percent could not recall their results..

Only 27 percent of those surveyed acknowledged having high blood pressure even though 37 percent reported taking antihypertensive medications. Thirty percent reported having a systolic blood pressure reading of 140 mm Hg or higher, but indicated that they did not have high blood pressure.

Among those who acknowledged that they currently had high blood pressure, 80 percent reported taking medications precisely as prescribed. Of the approximately 20 percent of hypertensive patients no longer taking medications or taking fewer medications than prescribed, cost was a major factor in approximately one in 5 or roughly 4 percent of the total.

When asked what high blood pressure information was most important, 34 percent and 28 percent, respectively, said they would like to find out about alternative therapies and prevention strategies.

"Education addressing limited awareness of systolic hypertension, policies facilitating a more holistic management approach and research identifying the most effective innovations may improve outcomes," concluded the researchers.

"Anyone with a diagnosis of high blood pressure on or over the
age of 50 should know their blood pressure and goal," Dr. Brent Egan, a professor of medicine and pharmacology at the Medical University of South Carolina, told Medical Week.

Egan said the blood pressure target for everyone should be less than 140/90. Many people should have a goal of less than 130/80-85, he added.

"We still find distressingly low rates of appreciation for the seriousness of systolic (top number) hypertension among individuals," said Egan. "For most older Americans, the systolic blood pressure is of much greater importance than the diastolic in determining outcome."

Other sources: Archives of Internal Medicine, 24;163(6):681-7