The researchers utilized January 2017 to March 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data for this weighted cross-sectional study. The data analysis transpired from January to February 2024. The study population included 3,129 U.S. adults with uncontrolled hypertension, including 1,675 male (weighted percentage, 52.3%); 775 aged 18 to 44 years (weighted percentage, 29.4%); 1,306 aged 45 to 64 years (weighted percentage, 41.4%); 1,048 aged 65 years or older (weighted percentage, 29.2%). This resulted in a population estimate of 100.4 million adults (weighted percentage, 83.7%) with uncontrolled hypertension.
Results revealed that 57.6% were unaware that they had hypertension. Moreover, among participants who were aware of hypertension and who met the criteria for antihypertensive medication, 70.8% still had uncontrolled hypertension despite taking the medication.
Researchers also noted that the adverse outcomes in the hypertension control cascade were obvious across several demographic groups, with a particularly elevated prevalence observed in younger adults and individuals engaged in healthcare.
Among adults aged 18 to 44 years with hypertension, 91.8% of females and 94.3% of males were noted to have uncontrolled hypertension. Moreover, 68.8% and 68.1% of females and males, respectively, were unaware of their hypertension status.
In addition, 75.7% of adults with uncontrolled hypertension reported that they did not seek healthcare in the past year and were unaware of their hypertension status. On the other hand, among adults with uncontrolled hypertension reporting two or more healthcare visits, 51.8% were unaware of their hypertension status.
Based on their findings, the authors wrote, “Our findings emphasize the pressing need for implementing evidence-based strategies to improve hypertension awareness and management among adults with uncontrolled hypertension in the US, including among females of reproductive age, and to address sociodemographic differences in the hypertension control cascade.
“This cross-sectional study found a concerning gap in hypertension awareness among adults in the US with uncontrolled hypertension aged 18 to 44 years and those with more than one physician visit in the past year. Notably, most adults with uncontrolled hypertension reported using antihypertensive medications,” concluded the authors.
Additionally, the authors indicated that the study findings have grave implications for the nation’s overall health, especially because of the robust correlation of uncontrolled hypertension with augmented risk for cardiovascular disease.
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