Blood-Pressure Control Improving in US

So what?

Use of antihypertensive medication and blood-pressure control among US adults with hypertension has significantly increased over the past 10 years, new data show.

The data, published in...Circulation, come from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included 9320 hypertensive patients who were interviewed in 2001–2002 and again in 2009–2010.

Results showed that 28.7% of hypertensive patients had their blood pressure controlled in 2001-2002, but this had increased to 47.2% by 2009–2010.

This correlated with an increase in the use of antihypertensive medication, with the number of patients who reported taking any antihypertensive drug increasing from 63.5% in 2001 to 77.3% in 2010. And the numbers taking multiple antihypertensive drugs increased from 36.8% in 2001 to 47.7% in 2010.

First, they need drugs to do it.

Second, unless there is clinical improvement and cost-savings, it makes no difference.

For these, we will have to wait and see.