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High Blood Pressure
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Facts and Statistics
High Blood Pressure Facts
Age–adjusted Percent of Adults Aged 20 Years and Older
With Hypertension or Taking Blood Pressure–Lowering Medication, 1999–2002
| Overall: |
30.0% |
Women:
All Women
White
African American
Mexican American |
30.6%
28.5%
43.5%
27.9% |
Men:
All Men
White
African American
Mexican American |
28.8%
27.6%
40.6%
26.8% |
Poverty Status:
Poor
Near Poor
Non–Poor |
33.9%
33.5%
28.2% |
Source: Health, United States, 2005.
- High blood pressure (hypertension) was listed as a primary or
contributing cause of death for 277,000 Americans in 2002.
- In 2003, there were more than 35 million physician office visits for
hypertension.
- High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease,
stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease.
- Almost one third of the people with high blood pressure don't know
that they
have it.
- It is estimated that about 90% of middle–aged adults will develop high blood
pressure in the remainder of their lifetime.
- Blood pressure is often written as two numbers. The top (systolic)
number represents the pressure when the heart is beating. The bottom
(diastolic) number represents the pressure when the heart is resting
between beats.
- High blood pressure for adults is defined as a systolic blood pressure of
140 mmHg or higher, or a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or higher.
- Normal blood pressure is a systolic blood pressure of less than 120
mmHg and
a diastolic blood pressure of less than 80 mmHg.
- “Prehypertension” is defined as a systolic blood pressure of 120–139
mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure of 80–89 mmHg. Persons with
prehypertension are at increased risk to progress to hypertension.
- About 28% of American adults have prehypertension.
- It is estimated that the direct and indirect costs of high blood
pressure will be $63.5 billion in the year 2006.
References
- American Heart Association. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2006
update. Circulation. 2006;113:e85.
- National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2005,
with Chartbook on the Health of Americans. Hyattsville, Maryland: 2004.
Available at:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus.htm.
- Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, Black HR, Cushman WC, Green LA, Izzo JL Jr,
et al. Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention,
Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure.
Hypertension 2003;42:1206–1252.
Online Statistical Resources
From the CDC:
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*Links to non–Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.
Page last reviewed: August 22, 2007
Page last modified: February 9, 2007
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion
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