Prevalence of Self-Reported Hypertension and Antihypertensive Medication Use Among Adults - United States, 2017

• Published in: MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report Vol. 69; no. 14; pp. 393 - 398
• Main Authors: Samanic, Claudine M, Barbour, Kamil E, Liu, Yong, Fang, Jing, Lu, Hua, Schieb, Linda, Greenlund, Kurt J
• Format: Journal Article Newsletter
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. Government Printing Office 10-04-2020; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Aged; Antihypertensive agents; Antihypertensive Agents - therapeutic use; Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; Cardiovascular diseases; Diseases; Drug therapy; Female; Full Report; Heart diseases; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Hypertension; Hypertension - drug therapy; Hypertension - epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Patient compliance; Prevalence; Self Report; Stroke; United States - epidemiology; Young Adult; United States
• ISSN: 0149-2195; 1545-861X
• DOI: 10.15585/MMWR.MM6914A1

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke (1). The prevalence of hypertension is higher among men than among women, increases with age, is highest among non-Hispanic blacks (blacks) (2), and has been consistently highest in the Southeastern region of the United States (1). To update prevalence estimates for self-reported hypertension and use of antihypertensive medication, CDC analyzed data from the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The overall (unadjusted) prevalence of self-reported hypertension was 32.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 32.1%-32.7%). The age-standardized, median state-specific prevalence of self-reported hypertension was 29.7% (range = 24.3%-38.6%). Overall age-standardized hypertension prevalence was higher among men (32.9%) than among women (27.0%), highest among blacks (40.0%), decreased with increasing levels of education and household income, and was generally highest in the Southeastern and Appalachian states.* Among persons reporting hypertension, the overall unadjusted prevalence of self-reported antihypertensive medication use was 76.0% (95% CI = 75.5%-76.4%). The age-standardized, median state-specific prevalence of antihypertensive medication use among persons with reported hypertension was 59.4% (range = 50.2%-71.2%). Prevalence was higher among women than men, highest among blacks compared with other racial/ethnic groups, and highest among states in the Southeast, Appalachia, and the Dakotas. These findings can help inform CDC's initiatives to enhance hypertension awareness, treatment, and control across all states.