Editorial

Hypertensive Men Living in a Southern City: Is it a Recipe for Disaster?

Authors: Shakaib U. Rehman, MD, Florence N. Hutchison, MD

Abstract

Hypertension affects over 65 million Americans; nearly 30% of the adult population, with the highest prevalence in the southeastern part of the United States.1 Furthermore, this region has higher complication rates of hypertension-related diseases, such as stroke, cardiovascular events, and kidney failure.1 It has been well documented that effective control of blood pressure (BP) reduces the rate of complications, yet studies have persistently shown that only about three in ten adult Americans with hypertension have blood pressure values that are controlled to the goal of <140/90 mmHg.2

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References

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2. Borzecki AM, Wong AT, Hickey EC, et al. Hypertension control. How well are we doing? Arch Intern Med 2003;163:2705–2711.
 
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6. Rehman SU, Hutchison FN, Hendrix K, et al. Ethnic differences in blood pressure control among men at Veterans Affairs clinics and other health care sites. Arch Intern Med 2005;165:1041–1047.
 
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