AHA News: Black Adults Aren't Getting Right Meds for Tough-to-Treat High Blood Pressure

Sept. 14, 2020, at 2:00 p.m.

MONDAY, SEPT. 14, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- Black adults with hard-to-treat high blood pressure often don't get the right medications or receive counseling about the use of healthy behaviors to lower blood pressure, according to a new study.

Past research shows blood pressure is more difficult to control in Black adults than in white adults, and that an estimated 400,000 strokes, heart attacks and other cardiovascular events among Black adults could be prevented each year if blood pressure control could be achieved.

The new study, published Monday in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, zeroed in on Black adults with so-called resistant hypertension, which is when a person needs four or more drugs to control their blood pressure.

Researchers looked at data from 1,776 Black adults in the United States with resistant hypertension who took medication to lower their blood pressure. First, they examined lifestyle factors, including body mass index, physical activity levels, and whether a person smoked or drank alcohol. Then they calculated how many participants took the prescription drugs recommended for resistant hypertension.

More:
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-09-14/aha-news-black-adults-arent-getting-right-meds-for-tough-to-treat-high-blood-pressure