Exploring Differences in Prevalence of Diagnosed, Measured and Undiagnosed Hypertension: the Case of Ireland and the United States of America

Overview

Journal Int J Public Health

Specialty Public Health

Date 2014 Jun 20

PMID 24942996

Citations 13

Authors

Irene Mosca

Rose Anne Kenny

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: To: (1) compare prevalence of diagnosed, measured, total and undiagnosed hypertension among late middle-aged adults in the United States of America and Ireland; (2) identify the most important predictors of hypertension and compare them across the two countries; (3) investigate whether cross-national differences in prevalence rates are explained by country differences in behavioural risk factors.

Methods: We use data from the 2008 and 2010 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (n = 1,938) and the first wave (2009/2011) of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (n = 1,455). We employ probit models to determine whether individual attributes, socioeconomic characteristics and behavioural health factors, including smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity, are associated with hypertension. We do not consider whether respondents are on antihypertensive medication.

Results: Prevalence of diagnosed hypertension is higher in the United States of America (48.6 versus 32.4 %). Prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension is higher in Ireland (41.2 versus 19.7 %). Little of the difference in prevalence rates is explained by country differences in behavioural risk factors.

Conclusions: A greater focus on prevention of high blood pressure is necessary in Ireland.

Citing Articles

Agreement between self-reported and objectively measured hypertension diagnosis and control: evidence from a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults in China.

Wu J, Chen D, Li C, Wang Y Arch Public Health. 2024; 82(1):245.

PMID: 39722079 PMC: 11670411. DOI: 10.1186/s13690-024-01456-5.

Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease among Diagnosed and Undiagnosed Hypertensive Individuals in the General Population of the Northern Region of Senegal.

Ndongo M, Dia A, Geoffroy A, Diaw M, Ba Diop A, Gaye B Kidney Blood Press Res. 2024; 49(1):1057-1065.

PMID: 39557025 PMC: 11844666. DOI: 10.1159/000542567.

Does the Disparity Patterning Differ between Diagnosed and Undiagnosed Hypertension among Adults? Evidence from Indonesia.

Oktamianti P, Kusuma D, Amir V, Tjandrarini D, Paramita A Healthcare (Basel). 2023; 11(6).

PMID: 36981473 PMC: 10048049. DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11060816.

Disease and debt: Findings from the 2019 Panel Study of Income Dynamics in the United States.

Grafova I, Clifford P, Hudson S, Steinberg M, OMalley D, Elliott J Prev Med. 2022; 164:107248.

PMID: 36087623 PMC: 10068838. DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107248.

Income Shocks and Out-of-Pocket Health Care Spending: Implications for Single-Mother Families.

Grafova I, Monheit A, Kumar R J Fam Econ Issues. 2021; 43(3):489-500.

PMID: 34248321 PMC: 8260017. DOI: 10.1007/s10834-021-09780-6.

References

Wolf-Maier K, Cooper R, Kramer H, Banegas J, Giampaoli S, Joffres M . Hypertension treatment and control in five European countries, Canada, and the United States. Hypertension. 2003; 43(1):10-7. DOI: 10.1161/01.HYP.0000103630.72812.10. View

Pickering T, Coats A, Mallion J, Mancia G, Verdecchia P . Blood Pressure Monitoring. Task force V: White-coat hypertension. Blood Press Monit. 1999; 4(6):333-41. DOI: 10.1097/00126097-199912000-00006. View

Joffres M, Falaschetti E, Gillespie C, Robitaille C, Loustalot F, Poulter N . Hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment and control in national surveys from England, the USA and Canada, and correlation with stroke and ischaemic heart disease mortality: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2013; 3(8):e003423. PMC: 3758966. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2013-003423. View

Banks J, Muriel A, Smith J . Disease prevalence, disease incidence, and mortality in the United States and in England. Demography. 2011; 47 Suppl:S211-31. PMC: 5870617. DOI: 10.1353/dem.2010.0008. View

Langa K, Llewellyn D, Lang I, Weir D, Wallace R, Kabeto M . Cognitive health among older adults in the United States and in England. BMC Geriatr. 2009; 9:23. PMC: 2709651. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2318-9-23. View

Kaur P, Rao S, Radhakrishnan E, Rajasekar D, Gupte M . Prevalence, awareness, treatment, control and risk factors for hypertension in a rural population in South India. Int J Public Health. 2011; 57(1):87-94. DOI: 10.1007/s00038-011-0303-3. View

Egan B, Zhao Y, Axon R . US trends in prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension, 1988-2008. JAMA. 2010; 303(20):2043-50. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2010.650. View

De Backer G, Germano G, Grassi G, Ruilope L, Rynkiewicz A, Boudier H . 2007 Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension: The Task Force for the Management of Arterial Hypertension of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) and of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Eur Heart J. 2007; 28(12):1462-536. DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehm236. View

Avendano M, Glymour M, Banks J, Mackenbach J . Health disadvantage in US adults aged 50 to 74 years: a comparison of the health of rich and poor Americans with that of Europeans. Am J Public Health. 2009; 99(3):540-8. PMC: 2661456. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2008.139469. View

10.

Laaser U, Breckenkamp J, Bjegovic V . Treatment of hypertension in Germany: is there a social gradient?. Int J Public Health. 2011; 57(1):185-91. DOI: 10.1007/s00038-011-0274-4. View

11.

Pagidipati N, Gaziano T . Estimating deaths from cardiovascular disease: a review of global methodologies of mortality measurement. Circulation. 2013; 127(6):749-56. PMC: 3712514. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.112.128413. View

12.

McGarrigle C, Cronin H, Kenny R . The impact of being the intermediate caring generation and intergenerational transfers on self-reported health of women in Ireland. Int J Public Health. 2013; 59(2):301-8. DOI: 10.1007/s00038-013-0521-y. View

13.

Ploubidis G, Mathenge W, De Stavola B, Grundy E, Foster A, Kuper H . Socioeconomic position and later life prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and visual impairment in Nakuru, Kenya. Int J Public Health. 2012; 58(1):133-41. DOI: 10.1007/s00038-012-0389-2. View

14.

Crimmins E, Kim J, Sole-Auro A . Gender differences in health: results from SHARE, ELSA and HRS. Eur J Public Health. 2010; 21(1):81-91. PMC: 3023013. DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckq022. View

15.

Avendano M, Glymour M . Stroke disparities in older Americans: is wealth a more powerful indicator of risk than income and education?. Stroke. 2008; 39(5):1533-40. PMC: 3079499. DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.107.490383. View

16.

Wang Y, Alexander G, Stafford R . Outpatient hypertension treatment, treatment intensification, and control in Western Europe and the United States. Arch Intern Med. 2007; 167(2):141-7. DOI: 10.1001/archinte.167.2.141. View

17.

Savva G, Maty S, Setti A, Feeney J . Cognitive and physical health of the older populations of England, the United States, and Ireland: international comparability of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2013; 61 Suppl 2:S291-8. DOI: 10.1111/jgs.12196. View

18.

Wolf-Maier K, Cooper R, Banegas J, Giampaoli S, Hense H, Joffres M . Hypertension prevalence and blood pressure levels in 6 European countries, Canada, and the United States. JAMA. 2003; 289(18):2363-9. DOI: 10.1001/jama.289.18.2363. View

19.

Banks J, Marmot M, Oldfield Z, Smith J . Disease and disadvantage in the United States and in England. JAMA. 2006; 295(17):2037-45. DOI: 10.1001/jama.295.17.2037. View

20.

Kearney P, Whelton M, Reynolds K, Muntner P, Whelton P, He J . Global burden of hypertension: analysis of worldwide data. Lancet. 2005; 365(9455):217-23. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)17741-1. View