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Is hypertension becoming more or less prevalent, and how well is it being treated and controlled? To find out, researchers analyzed data from 14,653 adult participants in the 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Hypertension was defined as an average blood pressure ≥140/90 mm Hg or use of antihypertensive medication.
As expected, hypertension was associated with older age and higher BMI throughout the study period. Mean BP remained at roughly 122 mm Hg from 1999–2000 through 2003–2004, although people age 60 or older experienced a significant decrease (from 139.3 to 135.8 mm Hg). Nonetheless, the prevalence of hypertension did not change significantly within any age, sex, race/ethnicity, or body-mass index subgroup.
Amo…