title: Is hypertension changing? Blood pressure development in cohorts of 50-year-old men between 1963 and 1993.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study secular trends in the prevalence and treatment of hypertension in the general population, and the disease course.
  
  
  METHODS
  Health examinations of cohorts of 50-year-old men in 1963, 1973, 1983 and 1993.
  
  
  METHODS
  The city of Göteborg, Sweden (about 400,000 inhabitants).
  
  
  METHODS
  Random population samples of 50-year-old men.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mean blood pressure (BP) levels in the populations and among treated hypertensives, proportions of hypertensives, and frequency of high BP values (> or = 160/and or 95, and > or = 175/115 mmHg, respectively).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean population BP decreased from 138.4/89.0 mm to 128.7/84.4 mmHg during the 30-year period (p < 0.0001). Mean BP levels among treated hypertensives decreased from 170/113 to 142/94 mmHg (p < 0.0001), and the proportion of men with high BP values diminished from 3.9 to 0.1%. Also BP levels among normotensives decreased significantly (p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings could partly be seen as a result of successful case-finding and treatment of hypertension in the region, but alteration of the natural course of hypertension cannot be excluded.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ribacke
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tibblin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosengren
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eriksson
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged