PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Multinational study shows need for substantial improvement in hypertension diagnosis and treatment

2013-09-04
(Press-News.org) In a study that included more than 140,000 participants from17 countries of varying income levels, researchers found a large gap between both detection and control of hypertension across all countries studied, with just over half of participants with hypertension aware of their diagnosis, and about one-third of those being treated for hypertension successfully controlling their blood pressure, according to a study in the September 4 issue of JAMA.

"High blood pressure is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and deaths globally. It is associated with at least 7.6 million deaths per year worldwide (13.5 percent of all deaths), making it the leading risk factor for CVD. The majority of CVD occurs in low-, low-middle-, and upper-middle-income countries. The importance of blood pressure as a modifiable risk factor for CVD is well-recognized and many effective and inexpensive blood pressure-lowering treatments are available. Therefore, hypertension control and prevention of subsequent morbidity and mortality clearly should be achievable," according to background information in the article. "Information on hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control in multiple countries and different types of communities is necessary to provide a baseline for monitoring and also to inform the development of new strategies for improving hypertension control."

Clara K. Chow, Ph.D., of Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, and colleagues assessed the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in participants in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. The study included 153,996 adults (complete data for this analysis on 142,042) 35 to 70 years of age, recruited between January 2003 and December 2009. Participants were from 628 communities in 3 high-income countries (HIC), 10 upper-middle-income and low-middle-income countries (UMIC and LMIC), and 4 low-income countries (LIC). Hypertension was defined as individuals with self-reported treated hypertension or with an average of 2 blood pressure measurements of at least 140/90 mm Hg using an automated digital device. Awareness was based on self-reports, treatment was based on the regular use of blood pressure-lowering medications, and control was defined as individuals with blood pressure lower than 140/90 mm Hg.

Among the participants, 57,840 (40.8 percent) had hypertension and 26,877 (46.5 percent) were aware of the diagnosis. Of those who were aware of the diagnosis, the majority (23,510 [87.5 percent]) were receiving pharmacological treatments, but only a minority of those receiving treatment had controlled blood pressure (7,634 [32.5 percent]).

The authors found a large gap between both detection and control of hypertension across all countries studied. "It shows that while initial therapy was started in the large majority of individuals who are detected to have hypertension, control in participants receiving treatment was very poor. The use of combination therapies, generally required to achieve blood pressure control, was low. Awareness, treatment, and control were lower in LICs compared with other countries and in rural settings of LMICs and LICs compared with urban ones. Despite men having higher rates of hypertension, women consistently had higher awareness, treatment, and control of their hypertension, consistent with a large body of research on sex and health-seeking behavior. Also, participants with more education had greater awareness, treatment, and control, particularly in LICs."

"The widespread lack of hypertension awareness (a measure of hypertension case identification) and poor control (a measure of inadequate treatment) in all countries studied, despite the identification and control of blood pressure being prioritized by many national and global organizations and despite the availability of inexpensive and effective medications, is concerning," the researchers write. "These findings suggest that substantial improvement in hypertension diagnosis and treatment is needed."

###

(doi:10.l001/jama.2013.184182; Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Study evaluates prevalence of diabetes among adults in China

2013-09-04
A study based on a nationally representative sample of adults in China in 2010 indicates that nearly 12 percent of Chinese adults had diabetes and the prevalence of prediabetes was about 50 percent, according to a study in the September 4 issue of JAMA. "Noncommunicable chronic diseases have become the leading causes of mortality and disease burden worldwide. It was estimated that 34.5 million deaths globally were due to noncommunicable diseases in 2010, which reflected a significant increase from 1990. Mortality from diabetes doubled during this period and increased ...

Comparison of antibody levels for 4 different immunization schedules for PCVs

2013-09-04
The use of 4 different 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine immunization schedules in healthy term infants resulted in no statistically significant differences in antibody levels between the infants after the booster dose at 12 months of age for almost all serotypes, according to a study in the September 4 issue of JAMA. "The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that more than 800,000 children younger than 5 years died from pneumococcal disease in 2000, making it the leading vaccine-preventable cause of death. Since the licensure in 2000 of the first 7-valent ...

Effect of iron supplementation among children living in malaria-endemic area on incidence of malaria

2013-09-04
Children in a malaria-endemic community in Ghana who received a micronutrient powder with iron did not have an increased incidence of malaria, according to a study in the September 4 issue of JAMA. Previous research has suggested that iron supplementation for children with iron deficiency in malaria-endemic areas may increase the risk of malaria. "In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria is a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality, and iron deficiency is among the most prevalent preventable nutritional deficiencies. The provision of iron to children with iron deficiency ...

Hepatitis B immunization program in Taiwan associated with reduction in chronic liver disease deaths

2013-09-04
"Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection causes infant fulminant hepatitis (IFH), and chronic HBV infection may progress to chronic liver disease (CLD) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Taiwan launched a nationwide HBV immunization program for newborns in July 1984, which has successfully lowered the prevalence of chronic HBV carriers, incidence of HCC, and mortality of IFH in vaccinated birth cohorts. The mortality of CLD before and after HBV immunization has never been examined," write Chun-Ju Chiang, Ph.D., of National Taiwan University, Taipei, and colleagues. As reported ...

Sleep boosts production of brain support cells

2013-09-04
Washington, DC — Sleep increases the reproduction of the cells that go on to form the insulating material on nerve cell projections in the brain and spinal cord known as myelin, according to an animal study published in the September 4 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings could one day lead scientists to new insights about sleep's role in brain repair and growth. Scientists have known for years that many genes are turned on during sleep and off during periods of wakefulness. However, it was unclear how sleep affects specific cells types, such as oligodendrocytes, ...

Whole genome sequencing provides researchers with a better understanding of bovine TB outbreaks

2013-09-04
The use of whole bacterial genome sequencing will allow scientists to inexpensively track how bovine tuberculosis (TB) is transmitted from farm to farm, according to research presented this week at the Society of General Microbiology Autumn Conference. Bovine TB is primarily a disease of cattle, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis. The disease is hugely expensive, costing the Government over £91 million in England in 2010/11. Researchers from the University of Glasgow, working in collaboration with the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute and the Department ...

Multi-drug pills help people stick to heart disease prevention regimens

2013-09-04
People are much more likely to take preventive medicines if they're combined in one pill, an international study has found. The findings are published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Taking aspirin, cholesterol-lowering and blood pressure-lowering drugs long-term more than halves heart attack and stroke recurrence. However, only about 50 per cent of people with cardiovascular disease in high-income countries take all recommended preventive medications. In low- and middle-income countries, only five to 20 per cent do. This leaves tens of millions ...

Stressful life events significantly raise the risk of falls in older men

2013-09-04
A study of around 5,000 older men has shown that stressful life events such as death of a loved one, or serious financial problems, significantly raised the risk of falls in the year following the incident. The research is published online today in the journal Age and Ageing. Dr Howard A. Fink of the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis and colleagues conducted a study of 5,994 community-dwelling men over the age of 65 who were enrolled in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) study in six locations across the United States. 5,125 participated in a second study visit ...

Brain wiring quiets the voice inside your head

2013-09-04
DURHAM, N.C. -- During a normal conversation, your brain is constantly adjusting the volume to soften the sound of your own voice and boost the voices of others in the room. This ability to distinguish between the sounds generated from your own movements and those coming from the outside world is important not only for catching up on water cooler gossip, but also for learning how to speak or play a musical instrument. Now, researchers have developed the first diagram of the brain circuitry that enables this complex interplay between the motor system and the auditory ...

Promiscuity and sperm selection improves genetic quality in birds

2013-09-04
New research from the University of East Anglia has shown that females can maximise the genetic quality of their offspring by being promiscuous. Researchers studied red junglefowl (the wild ancestor of the domestic chicken) in a collaborative project with the University of Oxford, Stockholm University and Linköping University. Findings published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B reveal that mating with different males helps females produce offspring that are more resistant to diseases. This is down to 'cryptic female choice' -- where an internal ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages

In pancreatic cancer, a race against time

Targeting FGFR2 may prevent or delay some KRAS-mutated pancreatic cancers

[Press-News.org] Multinational study shows need for substantial improvement in hypertension diagnosis and treatment