A review of contemporary data indicates that as many as two thirds of individuals with hypertension in the United States are either untreated or inadequately treated.
ypertension is a powerful risk factor for fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular disease events. Data from observational studies indicate that this risk is continuous, without evidence of a threshold, down to blood pressures as low as 115/75 mm Hg. Because hypertension currently affects 1 in 4 American adults (65 million people in 1999 to 2000) 4 and may affect 90% of individuals during their lifetimes, 5 adequate control of blood pressure is of enormous public health importance. However, recent studies indicate that as many as two thirds of those with hypertension in the United States are either untreated or undertreated. Studies based on national data and community cohorts have shed light on the reasons underlying this poor control, but several questions remain unanswered. In this article, we review contemporary data on the epidemiology of uncontrolled hypertension in the United States by ( In this article, "uncontrolled hypertension" signifies blood pressure that is inadequately treated rather than blood pressure that is resistant to treatment, as might be observed with secondary causes of hypertension such as renal artery stenosis.
Wang et al. (Mon,) conducted a review in Uncontrolled hypertension. A review of contemporary data indicates that as many as two thirds of individuals with hypertension in the United States are either untreated or inadequately treated.