title: Comparing NHANES data in the assessment of hypertension of African-Americans. Awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in an urban Maryland city.
abstract: Although hypertension is a well-recognized risk factor for stroke, heart failure, and renal failure, particularly among African-Americans, many with high blood pressure are unaware of its presence. Those who are cognizant of their high blood pressure are often not treated at appropriate levels, as recommended by the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC VI). In 1999, we participated in a blood pressure screening at the Wicomico County, Maryland Health Fair, whose primary focus was the Health and Wellness of African-Americans. Wicomico County is located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Our participation in the health fair screening of a predominantly African-American population afforded us the opportunity to update data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and determine if JNC VI guidelines were being met, especially among the diabetic population. Since the NHANES data is now over five years old, we felt that our study would be of interest to physicians working with patients who have hypertension. Our findings compared to the NHANES II last published in 1994. We were looking for any improvement in the detection and treatment of hypertension. Data analysis found a slight increase in the awareness and treatment of hypertensives, but a decrease in the number of patients who were able to manage their illness. This was particularly true among diabetics who were at high risk for hypertension.
authors.forename: Donald M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Kathy D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D044383:Black People; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008396:Maryland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000592:standards*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017678:Sex Distribution