Aspects of hypertension among blacks.
The universal prevalence of arterial hypertension among Blacks is no longer disputed, although there still remain unanswered questions. Hypertension among Blacks is nearly always primary (85% of cases), while the secondary form is synonymous with some type of renal disorder. A few 'associations' of hypertension exist. Diet may be significant, especially potassium deficiency as a result of high starch intake, low intake of potassium and other practices. Enigmatic clinical aspects include: (i) the absence of symptoms generally, especially in the presence of established severe clinical disease with and without target organ damage; (ii) the clinically apparent selective target organ damage; (iii) labile blood pressure readings at any stage; (iv) cerebral thrombosis and frequent blood pressure normalization; (v) cardiomyopathy in relation to hypertension; (vi) the discordance of morbid events; (vii) dramatic isolated morbid events, which suggest special vulnerability.
D001741:Black or African American; D044383:Black People; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology*; D012424:Rural Population; D013019:South Africa