Less deaths reported due to high blood pressure, says research

Thu, 28 Apr 2011
A new study by scientists in the United States has found that death rates for people suffering from high blood pressure have gone down, although they remain much greater than for those without it.

The study, which was published in Circulation, reviewed data for death rates for adults aged between 25 and 74 years from two national health surveys, one from 1971 to 1975 and the other from 1988 to 1994. It was revealed that the overall death rate was 42 per cent higher for those with raised blood pressure than those without it in one survey, and 57 percent higher in the other. Both surveys also showed that men were more likely to die than women.

In addition, the surveys found that hypertensive patients had a 3.6 times greater increase in diagnosis for diabetes, as well as a 30 per cent larger increase in body mass index, and a 45 per cent smaller reduction in total cholesterol levels.

Study author, Earl S. Ford, commented "Mortality rates are going down for everybody with high blood pressure, but despite the availability of several types of medication to reduce blood pressure, there is still a large gap between those with hypertension and those without."

He added "In addition to taking steps to lower your blood pressure, if you have hypertension, you should stop smoking, control your weight as well as you can, have your lipid levels measured (and if needed, be treated), and get tested for diabetes."

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