title: Prevalence, treatment, control, and awareness of high blood pressure and the risk of stroke in Northwest England.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence, treatment, control, and awareness of hypertension in patients with first-ever stroke and in controls sampled from the same primary care physician's population register.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based case-control study was conducted in East Lancashire, England, using cases identified from the stroke register in 1994-1995. Information on blood pressure (BP) and other predefined factors was extracted from the practice medical records. Postal questionnaires were used for information on patients' awareness of hypertension.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 267 stroke cases and 534 controls were included. Sixty-one percent of cases and 43% of controls had BP >= 160/95 mm Hg on >= 2 occasions within 3 months or received antihypertensives. High proportions of cases (82%) and controls (85%) were on treatment. There was a continuous relationship between the risk of stroke and levels of BP control. Of 73 cases and 135 controls who were hypertensive and responded to the postal questionnaire, 56 and 83%, respectively, were aware of hypertension (P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of hypertension was high among stroke patients. In those treated, <30% of patients had their BP adequately controlled to <140/90 mm Hg. Patient awareness of previous hypertension or high BP was very poor and attention needs to be paid to patient education.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Epidemiology Unit, School of Epidemiology and Health Sciences, University of Manchester Medical School, Manchester, England. xdu@utmb.edu
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Du
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D011336:Probability; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012984:Software; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents