Human Services News

From EurekAlert! - Breaking News:

With equal access to medical care and medication, Hispanic men and women have as good or greater chance as non-Hispanics of controlling their high blood pressure, researchers reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Population-based research has shown that hypertension awareness, treatment and control is lower among Hispanics compared to non-Hispanic whites and blacks.

When researchers studied blood pressure control in Hispanics as part of the ALLHAT (Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial), they found that Hispanics responded as well or better than non-Hispanics.

At two years, Hispanic whites had 20 percent greater odds of achieving blood pressure control compared to non-Hispanic whites, after researchers adjusted for demographic differences and co-morbidities such as diabetes, smoking and existing cardiovascular disease.

Researchers conducted ALLHAT to determine what type of drug was more effective in preventing the cardiovascular complications of hypertension in high-risk men and women.

"This was the first study to compare blood pressure control in these four race-ethnicity categories," said Margolis, who is also an associate professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota.

Margolis stressed the importance of controlling blood pressure in Hispanics, the largest ethnic minority in the United States at 14 percent of the population.

"Hispanics are less likely to have health insurance or a regular source of medical care and are less likely to receive preventive services.

Efforts to improve blood pressure control in Hispanics should also focus on improving hypertension knowledge and awareness, doctor-patient communication, access to medical care and affordable medications, the researchers concluded.

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