Hypertension in the Hispanic-American population

Article Abstract:

It has been clearly established that a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease is high blood pressure (hypertension); cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the industrialized world. While the overall mortality from cardiovascular disease such as stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease is decreasing in the United States, it is declining more slowly for the Hispanic population. While there has been little research on hypertension among Hispanics, it is known that their incidence of high blood pressure is greater than that of whites and Asians, and less than that of blacks. Factors that contribute to elevated blood pressure in Hispanics include high rates of obesity and diabetes, as well as a genetic predisposition and low socioeconomic status. In 1988, there were almost 20 million Hispanics living in the US, representing 8.1 percent of the population. This population is expected to increase steadily and by the year 2000 Hispanics will probably be the largest minority group in the nation. The results of studies that are currently available concerning the prevalence, diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure in Hispanics are reviewed. More Hispanics than whites have undiagnosed hypertension, and are generally less knowledgeable in heart disease prevention. However, health education programs have been well received by the Hispanic community. The preliminary results of a multi-center study on drug therapy for hypertension suggest that diuretics offer several advantages for this ethnic group; diuretics may enhance compliance because they are inexpensive, have few side effects, and are easy to use. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Care and treatment

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Hypertension in minority populations: access to care

Article Abstract:

The risk factors for coronary artery disease have been classified as either fixed, such as sex and age, or modifiable, such as high blood pressure (hypertension) and smoking. Efforts to prevent heart disease therefore focus on the modifiable factors, and of these, hypertension is of major importance. Management of blood pressure is especially critical for certain minority groups, primarily blacks and Hispanics, which have a greater incidence of hypertension and must contend with various barriers to diagnosis and treatment. Access to medical care is often limited in minority communities, where both the number and the quality of health care facilities may be below the level found in other communities. In addition, socioeconomic factors and cultural attitudes may inhibit individuals from taking advantage of the services that are readily available. Studies that examined out-of-hospital deaths found that they occurred most often in patients with cardiovascular disease who also had the lowest socioeconomic status; these data suggest that this group was not receiving adequate medical care. Interventions to reduce the incidence of undiagnosed and untreated hypertension are listed; they include public health education directed at specific high-risk groups, screening individuals at an age when hypertension is likely to be detected in an early stage, national health insurance, and better living conditions to raise the socioeconomic status of groups at risk. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Diagnosis, African Americans, Coronary heart disease

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Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Making a difference: managing hypertension in minority patients. Hypertension and cardiac disease in minorities

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