title: Elevated blood pressure in men accompanying patients to the obstetrician's office.
abstract: Hypertension is common and leads to increased mortality among adults; yet, one-third of hypertensive adults in the United States are unaware of their condition. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of unrecognized elevated blood pressure (BP) in men accompanying pregnant women to the obstetrician's office. Blood pressure measurements were offered to men accompanying pregnant women to four obstetrics practices in St. Louis, Missouri. Age, race, history of hypertension, and relationship to the pregnant woman were also recorded. A total of 191 men participated in the study. Participants' ages ranged from 15 to 69 years, with a mean of 27 years. Elevated BP (> 140/90 mm Hg) was detected in 40 men (21%). Only 5% of men with an elevated BP were aware of a prior history of elevated BP. We conclude that the obstetrician's office provides a good opportunity for initial screening for hypertension in men. Follow-up is necessary to determine the accuracy of the diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ventrapragada
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Behrend
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vijayan
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009774:Obstetrics; D009819:Office Visits