NEARLY half of adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure, or hypertension. Yet only 1 in 4Trusted Source of them have managed to reduce their blood pressure to the recommended levels with treatment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
It is important to keep blood pressure within the recommended levels of under 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
Hypertension increases the risk of developing a heart attack and stroke, which are leading causes of death in the U.S.
The causes of high blood pressure vary, with genetics, diet, exercise, lifestyle, and some medical conditions all playing a role. Certain medications for a number of different conditions can also raise blood pressure.
Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, a Harvard-affiliated teaching hospital, have examined existing survey data to determine how many people with hypertension are taking medication that may raise blood pressure.
Their results appear in a research letter in the journal JAMA Internal MedicineTrusted Source.
Letter co-author Dr. Timothy Anderson spoke with Medical News Today. He explained that sometimes, there is no choice but to give some people with hypertension drugs that can raise their blood pressure; however, other times, there may be other options:
“In some cases, these medications are appropriate, as they are treating an important issue without a better alternative.
However, in many cases, I think the risk of raising blood pressure is simply overlooked, particularly for patients using these medications for many years.”
The researchers analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination SurveyTrusted Source collected between 2009 and 2018.
The dataset consisted of information about people over the age of 18 who were not pregnant.
In total, there were 27,599 adults, of whom 11.3% were Black, 14.8% were Hispanic, and 65.3% were non-Hispanic white.
Data for the survey were generated by home interviews. Among other details, information about prescription medications was obtained. The researchers identified antihypertensive medications, which people take for hypertension.
