(Press-News.org) There is a significant deficit in recognition and control of hypertension in the Hispanic population of the United States, according to a new study published in American Journal of Hypertension (AJH).
The study, "Prevalence of hypertension, awareness, treatment and control in the Hispanic Community," led by Dr. Paul D. Sorlie of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), sampled 16,400 individuals, making it one of the largest and most rigorous health studies of the Hispanic community. Hispanics are currently the largest minority group within the US population. The results show that while the prevalence of hypertension in the Hispanic community is nearly equal to that of non-Hispanic whites, diagnosis of the disease is much lower, as is general awareness of its symptoms and treatment options.
"This is a landmark study," says Dr. Michael Alderman, Editor-in-Chief of AJH. "This is the first comprehensive data on the prevalence and awareness of hypertension within the US Hispanic community that also includes all of its diverse subgroups."
Prevention and control of hypertension are essential components for reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease. As such, the study offers important insights into new avenues for improving the health care of the United States' rapidly growing Hispanic population. Sorlie, et al. contend that the availability of health insurance plays a critical factor in the outcomes measured in their study, as the Hispanic community is the least insured minority group in the US.
"Though the presence of hypertension in the Hispanic community is nearly equal that of non-Hispanic whites, awareness and diagnosis lag significantly behind, particularly in those individuals without health insurance," says Dr. Sorlie. "Given the relative ease of identifying hypertension and the availability of low cost medications, enabling better access to diagnostic and treatment services should be prioritized to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease on Hispanic populations. This study gives us the information needed to support the development of policies that can improve this access and, subsequently, the overall health of countless US citizens."
The study also found that the prevalence of hypertension within the Hispanic community increased with increasing age, and was highest among those with Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Dominican backgrounds.
INFORMATION:
About American Journal of Hypertension:
American Journal of Hypertension is a monthly, peer-reviewed journal that provides a forum for scientific inquiry of the highest standards in the field of hypertension and related cardiovascular disease. The journal publishes high-quality original research and review articles on basic sciences, molecular biology, clinical and experimental hypertension, cardiology, epidemiology, pediatric hypertension, endocrinology, neurophysiology, and nephrology.
About "Prevalence of hypertension, awareness, treatment and control in the Hispanic Community":
Methods: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos is a longitudinal cohort study of 16,415 Hispanics/Latinos, aged 18 to 74 years from four communities in the U.S. (Bronx, Chicago, Miami, and San Diego). At baseline (2008-2011) the study collected extensive measurements and questionnaires related to research on cardiovascular diseases. Hypertension was defined as measured blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or more, or use of antihypertensive medication.
Study: Hypertension going untreated in US Hispanic community
2014-03-13
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Study generally finds comparable outcomes for outpatient, inpatient orthopaedic surgeries
2014-03-13
NEW ORLEANS – As the effectiveness of anesthesia, pain management and rehabilitation continues to improve, more orthopaedic procedures are being done on an outpatient basis. In a new research study presented today at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), same-day total joint replacement (TJR) patient outcomes were comparable to those of patients admitted to the hospital and staying at least one night following surgery. However, readmission rates, although statistically "non-significant," were higher for outpatient procedures. In ...
Patients should wait 6-to-12 weeks before driving after shoulder surgery
2014-03-13
NEW ORLEANS--More than 53,000 Americans have total shoulder joint replacement (SJR) surgery each year, and yet the effects of this surgery on a patient's ability to safely drive a vehicle, and the appropriate recovery time before patients should return to driving, have yet to be determined. In a new study, "Driving Performance after Total Shoulder Arthroplasty," presented today at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the driving skills of 28 shoulder replacement patients, with a mean age of 65 ±10 years, were tested at four distinct ...
Study identifies genetic differences in female athletes with ACL injuries
2014-03-13
NEW ORLEANS--Female athletes are two-to-eight times more likely to suffer an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury than males. And while there have been reports about possible anatomic, hormonal and neuromuscular factors that may place females at greater risk for these injuries, little research has looked specifically at the role of genetics.
For the first time, a new study, presented today at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), identified varied female-to-male expression of several genes leading to proteins maintaining ligament ...
Bladder cancer Pt with rare genetic mutations shows exceptional response to everolimus
2014-03-13
PHILADELPHIA — A patient with advanced bladder cancer experienced a complete response for 14 months to the drug combination everolimus and pazopanib in a phase I trial, and genomic profiling of his tumor revealed two alterations that may have caused this exceptional response, according to a study published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
This information can help identify cancer patients who may respond to everolimus.
Exceptional responders are cancer patients who had a complete response or partial response for at least ...
Trauma center closures linked to higher odds of death for injured patients, UCSF shows
2014-03-13
Injured patients who live near trauma centers that have closed have higher odds of dying once they reach a hospital, according to a new analysis by UC San Francisco researchers.
Trauma centers are specially staffed and equipped to provide care to severely injured people. They can be costly to operate and many centers struggle to keep their doors open. During the last two decades, about a third of the nation's 1,125 trauma centers have shut down.
The new study, involving more than a quarter of a million patients, analyzed the impact of closures of three centers in California. ...
Genomic testing links 'exceptional' drug response to rare mutations in bladder cancer
2014-03-13
BOSTON -- A patient with advanced bladder cancer in a phase I trial had a complete response for 14 months to a combination of the targeted drugs everolimus and pazopanib, report scientists led by a Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researcher, and genomic profiling of his tumor revealed two alterations that may have led to this exceptional response.
This information can help identify cancer patients who may respond to everolimus, according to the report published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
"Studying exceptional responders ...
Simulating how the Earth kick-started metabolism
2014-03-13
Researchers have developed a new approach to simulating the energetic processes that may have led to the emergence of cell metabolism on Earth – a crucial biological function for all living organisms.
The research, which is published online today in the journal Astrobiology, could help scientists to understand whether it is possible for life to have emerged in similar environments on other worlds.
Dr Terry Kee from the School of Chemistry at the University of Leeds, one of the co-authors of the research paper, said: "What we are trying to do is to bridge the gap between ...
'Love hormone' could provide new treatment for anorexia
2014-03-13
Oxytocin, also known as the 'love hormone', could provide a new treatment for anorexia nervosa, according to new research by a team of British and Korean scientists.
The study, published today, found that oxytocin alters anorexic patients' tendencies to fixate on images of high calorie foods, and larger body shape. The findings follow an earlier study by the same group showing that oxytocin changed patients' responses to angry and disgusted faces.
Anorexia nervosa affects approximately 1 in 150 teenage girls in the UK and is one of leading causes of mental health ...
UK seeing significant rise in older people living and being diagnosed with HIV
2014-03-13
A new paper published online today in the British Geriatrics Society journal Age and Ageing argues that despite a year-on-year increase in the number of people over the age of 50 being diagnosed with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), there is a reluctance of healthcare professionals to offer HIV tests to older people. This results in high rates of "late presentation" and therefore significantly increased mortality.
According to the article by Dr Eva Bunting and colleagues, of the Royal Sussex County Hospital, the proportion of older patients in the UK living with ...
Side effects reported in those taking statins are not actually attributable to the drugs
2014-03-13
Sophia Antipolis, 13 March 2014. At a time when the wider prescription of statins is under renewed public scrutiny, a substantial analysis of placebo-controlled randomised trials of statins has found that only a small minority of side effects reported by those taking the cholesterol-lowering drugs are actually attributable to them. Almost all the side effects reported in these trials "occurred anyway when patients were administered placebo", say the investigators.
The study, a meta-analysis involving more than 80,000 patients and reported today in the European Journal ...