Trends in Hypertension Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control Rates in Shandong Province of China

The authors retrospectively examined data from 3 surveys on hypertension according to the 2010 Chinese Guidelines for the Management of Hypertension. These surveys were conducted in 1991, 1999, and 2007, and included 85,371 individuals 18 years and older who were living in Shandong Province, China. Age-standardized prevalent hypertension increased from 15.6% in 1991 to 17.3% in 1999 and 32.7% in 2007 (both P<.0001). The ascending prevalence can be partially explained by increasing body weight. Among individuals with hypertension, awareness increased significantly from 27.8% in 1991 to 39.1% in 1999 and 49.2% in 2007. The proportion of pharmacologic treatment also considerably improved, with the estimate of 12.9%, 28.1%, and 43.3% in the 3 surveys, respectively. Hypertension control increased from 3.0% to 4.4% to 7.1% in the past 20 years. The upward trend in blood pressure control was mostly attributable to a rise among men and persons at middle age. This study suggests that the prevalence of hypertension increased in the Shandong population from 1991 to 2007. Although substantially improved, control rates were still unacceptably low. Comprehensive strategies are urgently required to put into practice for the management of hypertension in Shandong Province, China.