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Uncontrolled HTN Up for Younger Men, Older Women

Thirty-four percent of those taking antihypertensive medications had hypertension

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Men ages 20 to 49 years and women ages 70 years and older have increased odds of uncontrolled hypertension, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association Hypertension 2021 Scientific Sessions, held virtually from Sept. 27 to 29.

Aayush Visaria, M.D., M.P.H., from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and colleagues examined the age-stratified associations between gender and uncontrolled hypertension using data from adults ages 20 years and older who reported hypertension diagnosis and antihypertensive medication use from the 1999 to 2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.

Of the 13,253 participants taking antihypertensive medications, 34 percent had hypertension. The researchers found that for men, those age 20 to 49 years had higher odds of uncontrolled hypertension compared with women, while at age 50 to 69 years, the odds were not significantly different for men versus women. Significantly higher odds of uncontrolled hypertension were seen for women among individuals aged 70 years and older.

“These results indicate that women 70 years and older and men less than 50 years with hypertension may have increased risk of uncontrolled hypertension and may benefit from more frequent blood pressure monitoring,” Visaria said in a statement. “In general, there is a need to increase awareness about uncontrolled hypertension among older women and younger men, and further studies need to be done to understand the reasons behind this phenomenon.”

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