title: Blood pressure in Spain: distribution, awareness, control, and benefits of a reduction in average pressure.
abstract: Distribution of blood pressure (as per US Joint National Committee VI classification and staging criteria) plus awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension were studied in a representative Spanish population sample of 2021 persons (age range, 35 to 64 years). Pressure was determined in accordance with World Health Organization guidelines. A total of 45.1% of subjects were hypertensive (>/=140/>/=90 mm Hg or undergoing drug therapy); 12% had isolated systolic hypertension, and 8.7% had isolated diastolic hypertension. Pulse pressure was 48.7 mm Hg. Heart rate was 81.4 bpm in untreated hypertensives and 78.9 bpm in normotensives (P<0.05). A substantial proportion of the community burden of blood pressure was attributable to stage 1 (28.3% of subjects), the most frequent category of hypertension, and to the high-normal blood pressure group (17% of subjects). A percentage breakdown showed that among hypertensives, 44.5% were aware of their condition; of these, 71.9% were undergoing drug therapy, and of those being treated, only 15.5% were controlled (5% of hypertensives). Not only are these figures consistent with the fact that Spain has a higher cerebrovascular mortality than other countries such as the United States, but they represent a great potential for improvement, particularly among those groups registering relatively worse data (younger men, rural residents, and unskilled professionals). A decrease of only 1 to 4 mm Hg in average blood pressure could reduce the prevalence of hypertension in Spain by 12.4% to 15.4%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. joseramon.banegas@uam.es
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Banegas
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Artalejo
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: de la Cruz Troca
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guallar-Castillón
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: del Rey Calero
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain