60% of Americans Have or Are at Risk for High Blood Pressure

According to three studies published in the Oct. 25 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, the two-thirds of Americans that have or are at risk for developing high blood pressure have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke and an immediate risk of hospitalization and death. Apparently, only about a third of people with high blood pressure are aware of their condition or have it under control.

Prehypertension is defined as having systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) of 120-139 points or a diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) of 80 to 89. A person's blood pressure is considered high if the systolic pressure is over 140 or the diastolic is over 90. High blood pressure is also referred to as hypertension and is divided into stages 1 and 2.

In two separate studies, researchers looked at how common this new blood pressure category is among U.S. adults. They also estimated how common other risk factors for heart disease are among those with prehypertension. The studies showed that about 30% of Americans had prehypertension and another 30% had high blood pressure, men were more likely than women to have prehypertension, and the prevalence of prehypertension increased dramatically with age, increasing from 40% among people aged 18 to 39 to 88% among those over 60.

The third study found that African Americans had the highest rates of prehypertension, and Mexican Americans had the lowest. Strangely enough higher education was associated with lower rates of prehypertension and high blood pressure (54% among those with more than a high school education vs. 65% among those with less than a high school education).

Those diagnosed with prehypertension are said to be 1.65 times more likely to have at least one other risk factor for heart disease and stroke than those with normal blood pressure. Researcher Youfa Wang, MD, PhD, of the University of Illinois at Chicago expressed, "People need to adopt lifestyle modifications, change their diets, try to be more active, get more exercise and quit smoking."

This article sparked my interest because I have been suffering from awful pains in my chest and my left arm and my blood pressure, for quite some time, has been about 131/84. This puts me in the middle of the prehypertensive range. I recently went to the doctor and had a chest x-ray and a breathing test I can't remember the name of. I won't know my results for another two weeks. I, like most of my close family and friends, didn't think I would have to worry about my health much because I am physically active, young, healthy, and pretty good at managing stress. I would be interested to know if anyone else has had a similar experience or thinks they may be prehypertensive.

High Blood Pressure Rising, yet Often Ignored