Reseachers call upon CDC to do more for Americans with high blood pressure
Worldwide approximately 500 million people have hypertension – which is commonly known as high blood pressure. This month, marks National High Blood Pressure Education Month. In the United States the observance of May as National High Blood Pressure month has taken place since 1984. The slogan for the awareness campaign is “Know your numbers.”
Earlier this year, a panel of medical experts from the Institute of Medicine (one of the National Academies of Sciences) concluded that high blood pressure is a “neglected disease” in the United States. Despite being a preventable ailment, high blood pressure is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. “Hypertension as a disease is relatively easy to diagnose and it’s inexpensive to treat,” says David Fleming who is the Director of Public Health for Seattle, Washington. One in six deaths in the United States is caused by hypertension resulting in $73 billion dollars in costs for the U.S. healthcare system.
Blood pressure is defined as the force of blood against the artery walls as it circulates through the body. When blood pressure remains high for an extended period of time it can lead to health problems. High blood pressure is often referred to as the “silent killer” because the disease normally does not have any warning signs or symptoms.
Medical doctors and researchers contend that more can be done to cut and/or prevent incidents of high blood pressure. Lifestyle changes such as being more physically active, consuming less salt, eating more fruits, vegetables, and lean protein can help with lowering high blood pressure.
The report from the Institute of Medicine which was released on February 22, 2010 states that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must improve their efforts in encouraging physicians to treat the disease more aggressively and also help Americans choose to live healthier lifestyles. The benefits for people to lower their blood pressure to normal levels are tremendous, considering that high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and other medical ailments. The report also indicates that 86% of people with uncontrolled high blood pressure have health insurance and regularly visit their doctor. Fleming says that physicians often do not follow appropriate guidelines for taking a patient’s blood pressure. This has resulted in many patients not realizing that they have the disease.
Facts about High Blood Pressure from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
* Approximately 1 in 3 (31.3%) adults in the U.S. has hypertension.
* People of all ages and backgrounds can develop high blood pressure – which is a preventable disease.
* In 2006, high blood pressure was listed as a primary or contributing cause of death for 326,000 Americans.
* In 2010, high blood pressure will cost the U.S. $76.6 billion dollars in health care services, medications, and missed days of work.
* About 70% of people with high blood pressure who took medication had their blood pressure controlled.
* 25% of U.S. adults have pre-hypertension – blood pressure readings that are higher than normal, but not yet hypertensive.
* More than 1 in 5 (22.4%) people with high blood pressure do not know that they have the disease.
* In 2006, Americans visited their physicians more than 40 million times to treat their high blood pressure.
Earlier this year, a panel of medical experts from the Institute of Medicine (one of the National Academies of Sciences) concluded that high blood pressure is a “neglected disease” in the United States. Despite being a preventable ailment, high blood pressure is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. “Hypertension as a disease is relatively easy to diagnose and it’s inexpensive to treat,” says David Fleming who is the Director of Public Health for Seattle, Washington. One in six deaths in the United States is caused by hypertension resulting in $73 billion dollars in costs for the U.S. healthcare system.
Blood pressure is defined as the force of blood against the artery walls as it circulates through the body. When blood pressure remains high for an extended period of time it can lead to health problems. High blood pressure is often referred to as the “silent killer” because the disease normally does not have any warning signs or symptoms.
Medical doctors and researchers contend that more can be done to cut and/or prevent incidents of high blood pressure. Lifestyle changes such as being more physically active, consuming less salt, eating more fruits, vegetables, and lean protein can help with lowering high blood pressure.
The report from the Institute of Medicine which was released on February 22, 2010 states that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must improve their efforts in encouraging physicians to treat the disease more aggressively and also help Americans choose to live healthier lifestyles. The benefits for people to lower their blood pressure to normal levels are tremendous, considering that high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and other medical ailments. The report also indicates that 86% of people with uncontrolled high blood pressure have health insurance and regularly visit their doctor. Fleming says that physicians often do not follow appropriate guidelines for taking a patient’s blood pressure. This has resulted in many patients not realizing that they have the disease.
Facts about High Blood Pressure from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
* Approximately 1 in 3 (31.3%) adults in the U.S. has hypertension.
* People of all ages and backgrounds can develop high blood pressure – which is a preventable disease.
* In 2006, high blood pressure was listed as a primary or contributing cause of death for 326,000 Americans.
* In 2010, high blood pressure will cost the U.S. $76.6 billion dollars in health care services, medications, and missed days of work.
* About 70% of people with high blood pressure who took medication had their blood pressure controlled.
* 25% of U.S. adults have pre-hypertension – blood pressure readings that are higher than normal, but not yet hypertensive.
* More than 1 in 5 (22.4%) people with high blood pressure do not know that they have the disease.
* In 2006, Americans visited their physicians more than 40 million times to treat their high blood pressure.
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