A new medical report shows that the rate of uncontrolled high blood pressure among American women is increasing, putting more women at risk for heart disease and stroke. The report, which will appear in the February 12th issue of Circulation, also shows that uncontrolled high blood pressure rates among US men has stagnated. Researchers used data from two major ongoing studies, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, reports Health Day News.
“In every state in the United States, women have higher uncontrolled hypertension prevalence rates than men do,” said Majid Ezzati, an associate professor of international health at the Harvard School of Public Health and lead author of the report, according to Medical News Today. “The difference between men and women is as low as 4 percent and as high as 7 percent.”
Uncontrolled hypertension rates had been declining up until the 1990’s, according to Medical News Today. However, the study found that between the early 1990s and early 2000s, the prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension in adult women increased from 17% to over 22%. In the same time span, the rate among men decreased, from 19% to 17%.
The study also analyzed hypertension rates on a state by state basis. DC, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia and South Carolina have some of the highest rates for both men and women, while Vermont, Minnesota, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Iowa and Colorado have some of the lowest.
