Undertreatment of hypertension in older Mexican Americans.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the prevalence of hypertension and factors associated with nontreatment and poor control of hypertension in Mexican Americans aged 65 years and older.


METHODS
A population-based survey of older Mexican Americans conducted in 1993-1994.


METHODS
Subjects residing in five Southwestern states: Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and California.


METHODS
An area probability sample of 3050 noninstitutionalized Mexican American men and women aged 65 and older took part in a 90-minute in-home interview, which included review of all medications taken and two sitting blood pressure measurements.


METHODS
Measured were previous diagnoses of hypertension, current medication for hypertension, and current blood pressure


RESULTS
Sixty-one percent of older Mexican-Americans were hypertensive, and 51% of those with hypertension were taking antihypertensive medications. Only 25% of hypertensive subjects (18% of males and 30% of females) were in good blood pressure control (i.e., systolic blood pressure < 140 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure < 90 mm Hg). In multivariate analyses, factors associated with increased likelihood of treatment included female gender (OR = 1.9), history of heart disease (OR = 2.4), possessing a regular source of health care (OR = 2.7), and having seen a physician two or more times in the previous year (OR = 3.8). These were also independent predictors of good blood pressure control.


CONCLUSIONS
Nontreatment of hypertension is still a major public health concern in older Mexican Americans. We estimate that adequate blood pressure control in this population would prevent approximately 30,000 adverse cardiovascular events over 10 years, affecting approximately 6% of the entire Mexican American older population.
Satish
S
S
Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77555-0460, USA.
Stroup-Benham
C A
CA
Espino
D V
DV
Markides
K S
KS
Goodwin
J S
JS
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015206:Southwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D017211:Treatment Failure; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents