The difference in hypertension control between older men and women.
BACKGROUND
In Canada, as elsewhere, control of hypertension in older persons who are using antihypertensive medication is more likely in men than in women. The reasons for the observed difference are not known.


METHODS
Data are from cycle 1 of the 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS). The CHMS includes a comprehensive questionnaire, automated blood pressure (BP) measures, and a variety of biological and anthropometric assessments. Frequencies, means, cross-tabulations and multivariate models were produced to study differences between the sexes in hypertension control in a weighted sample representative of the household population aged 60 to 79.


RESULTS
The prevalence of hypertension was nearly equal among older men (60%) and women (59%), and the percentage of those with hypertension who were receiving pharmaceutical treatment was not statistically different (84% and 89%, respectively). However, despite current treatment, hypertension was uncontrolled in a substantially higher percentage of women (30%) than men (17%). The difference persisted when age, socio-economic status, co-morbidity, category of medication, anthropometry, and other correlates of hypertension were taken into account.


CONCLUSIONS
The factors considered in the analysis do not account for the advantage to older men in hypertension control. The findings underscore the importance of efforts to control blood pressure in older women.
Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0T6.
Kathryn
K
Wilkins
Marianne
M
Gee
Norm
N
Campbell
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents