Key result
Mortality from hypertensive disease with anemia increased ~3.5-fold in the U.S. since 1999.
Why the study?
Hypertension and anemia are bidirectionally linked, yet U.S. national mortality patterns for deaths in which both hypertensive diseases and aplastic or other anemias are recorded remain poorly defined.
Observational (n=338,319)
U.S. mortality involving both hypertensive diseases and aplastic or other anemias increased more than three-fold between 1999 and 2023, disproportionately impacting older adults, Non-Hispanic Black individuals, and residents of southern and non-metropolitan areas.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Rising mortality with hypertension-anemia comorbidity and disparities may prompt monitoring in older, Black, and rural adults; leaves open causal links and intervention effects.
Background: Hypertensive diseases are a leading cause of mortality in the U.S. Hypertension and anemia are linked in both directions. Hypertensive nephropathy, endothelial injury, and chronic inflammation reduce erythropoietin secretion and suppress erythropoiesis, while anemia lowers oxygen delivery and raises cardiac workload, which worsens hypertensive end-organ damage. National mortality patterns for deaths in which both conditions are recorded remain poorly defined. Methods: We analyzed deaths among adults aged ≥25 years in the CDC WONDER Multiple Cause of Death database from 1999 to 2023. Deaths were included when hypertensive diseases (ICD-10: I10–I15) and aplastic or other anemias (ICD-10: D60–D64) were both recorded anywhere on the death certificate, as underlying or as contributing cause. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100 000 individuals were calculated and stratified by demographics and geography. Joinpoint regression was used to estimate the annual percentage change with 95% confidence interval. Results: Between 1999 and 2023, 338 319 U.S. deaths were recorded with hypertensive diseases and co-existing aplastic and other anemias. The AAMR rose from 2.35 per 100 000 in 1999 to a peak of 8.43 in 2021 and was 8.16 in 2023. Males had higher mortality than females (25-year means 5.97 vs. 5.79). NH Black or African American individuals had the highest burden (11.19) and NH Asian or Pacific Islander individuals the lowest (5.25). Non-metropolitan areas exceeded metropolitan areas (6.24 vs. 5.44), and the South was the highest of the four regions (6.50). Adults aged 65–85+ years carried by far the highest rate, peaking at 37.28 in 2021. Among states, the highest rates from 1999 to 2020 were in Rhode Island, Ohio, and Texas, and from 2021 to 2023 in Minnesota, South Carolina, and Nebraska. Conclusion: Mortality from hypertensive diseases with co-existing aplastic and other anemias increased substantially over 25 years, disproportionately affecting older adults, black individuals, and residents of non-metropolitan and southern regions. These findings highlight the urgent disparities that require targeted preventive and clinical intervention.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Baig et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Hypertensive diseases with co-existing aplastic and other anemias (n=338,319). Hypertensive diseases with co-existing aplastic and other anemias was evaluated on Age-adjusted mortality rate (AAMR) per 100,000 individuals. Hypertensive diseases with co-existing anemias showed a rising U.S. age-adjusted mortality rate from 2.35 per 100,000 in 1999 to a peak of 8.43 in 2021 and 8.16 in 2023.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: