Uncontrolled BP Raises Stroke Risk
People with hypertension are urged to take stronger action

(HealthDay News) -- Most people with high blood pressure don't have the condition under control, health experts say, and that boosts their chances of having a stroke or developing other potentially life-threatening conditions.

"Almost everyone with high blood pressure can have it controlled through medical and lifestyle change," said Clark Denny, an epidemiologist in the Cardiovascular Health Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But CDC researchers, reporting in the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report , found that as many as 70 percent of adults with hypertension, or high blood pressure, were not doing enough to control the condition. In almost one in three Americans, blood pressure is higher than it should be.

Stroke is still the nation's third leading cause of death, claiming more than 150,000 lives a year, says the American Stroke Association. Each year, about 780,000 Americans have a first or recurrent stroke, it adds.

"Blood pressure" is literally the pressure -- or force -- exerted against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood, explains the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Pressure that rises and remains elevated over time can damage the body in many ways. Heightened risk of stroke is one of the potential consequences.

To assess the prevalence of high blood pressure and efforts to control it, CDC researchers examined data from a state-based survey of adults. Of the 24,447 people in 20 states who indicated that they had high blood pressure, 98 percent said they were doing at least one thing to lower or control their blood pressure.

In all, about 71 percent said they had changed their eating habits, 80 percent had cut back or eliminated salt in their diets, 79 percent had reduced or eliminated alcohol, 69 percent exercised, and 73 percent took medication to lower blood pressure.

"But that means that about 30 percent in each category need to do more," Denny told HealthDay .

Overall, the study found, less than a third of all people with hypertension have it under control.

Dr. George Bakris, professor of medicine and director of the Hypertension Center at the University of Chicago Medical Center, believes a combination of medication and lifestyle changes are needed to manage high blood pressure.

"A lot of people take medicines and think that is enough, and the lifestyle changes can be avoided. But that's not true," he told HealthDay . "People who try to go that route never get really good blood pressure control."

Following a diet known as the "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension" -- or DASH diet -- can help, the CDC authors noted. Studies have shown that this eating plan, which is low in saturated fat and total fat and emphasizes fruits and vegetables, helps lower blood pressure.

In addition to a healthy diet, government health experts recommend:

• Cutting sodium intake, generally to no more than 2.4 grams (or 2,400 milligrams) of sodium a day, or the equivalent of a teaspoon of table salt a day.
• Maintaining a healthy weight. For people who are overweight or have hypertension, losing even 10 pounds can lower blood pressure.
• Being physically active, with 30 minutes of moderate-level physical activity on most days.
• Drinking alcohol only in moderation -- meaning no more than one drink a day for women and two for men.

On the Web

To learn more about the DASH diet, visit the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Clark Denny, Ph.D., epidemiologist, Cardiovascular Health Branch, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta; George Bakris, M.D., professor of medicine and director, Hypertension Center, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago; May 4, 2007, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report ; American Stroke Association, Dallas; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Md.
Author: Karen Pallarito
Publication date: May 31, 2008
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