Only a little more than half of patients in the U.S. with hypertension have their high blood pressure under control, according to the results of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, published Nov. 12 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey monitors the health and nutritional status of U.S. adults through standardized health examinations and home interviews. In this cross-sectional survey, Sung Sug Yoon, PhD, RN, et al., sought to assess the prevalence and control of hypertension among U.S. adults from 2011 to 2014. These results provide an update from data published in 2009, with the initial survey results published in 1999.

The results of the survey showed that both the prevalence of hypertension and controlled hypertension among adults remained similar between 2009 (28.6 and 53.3 percent respectively) and 2014 (29.3 and 54 percent, respectively). However, the prevalence of controlled hypertension increased between 1999 and 2014 from 31.5 percent to 54 percent, respectively.

Despite the prevalence of hypertension increasing with age, the data showed that younger age (18 – 39) was associated with a lower prevalence of controlled hypertension, as compared to adults 60 years or older.

The study authors state that although “remarkable progress in hypertension control has been noted in the U.S. over the years, there is still room for improvement to meet the goal of [61.2 percent with controlled hypertension by 2020].”

Kim A. Eagle, MD, MACC, editor-in-chief of ACC.org, notes that “if the guidelines for treatment change – with a more aggressive systolic blood pressure target for some patients, as noted in the SPRINT Trial – then the percentage of Americans considered to have ‘poor hypertension control’ will undoubtedly rise.”

Keywords: Antihypertensive Agents, Blood Pressure, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S., Hypertension, Nutrition Surveys, Nutritional Status

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