title: Hypertension and antihypertensive therapy in Hispanics and Mexican Americans living in the United States.
abstract: Hypertension is a major independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, which are the most frequent cause of death worldwide. In addition, the risk of hypertension has been associated with racial and/or ethnic background. Hispanics are the largest and fastest-growing minority population in the United States, currently comprising about 16.3% (50.5 million) of the total population; these numbers will continue to increase into the next 10 years. The rate of uncontrolled hypertension in Hispanics significantly exceeds the rates observed among non-Hispanic blacks and whites. The reasons for these racial and ethnic differences in blood pressure control may include factors such as lack of access to health care, low socioeconomic status, language barriers, degree of acculturation, poor doctor-patient communication, and genetic factors. This article provides an up-to-date summary of epidemiological and treatment aspects of high blood pressure in the US Hispanic population. Because Mexican Americans constitute approximately 66% of US Hispanics, data sources that focus on Mexican Americans are also discussed.
authors: John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Ochsner Clinical School-The University of Queensland School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70121, USA. hventura@ochsner.org
authors: Hector
authors: H
authors: Ventura
authors: Ileana L
authors: IL
authors: Piña
authors: Carl J
authors: CJ
authors: Lavie
mesh_terms: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents