Two-thirds of adults in the UK with high blood pressure do not know they have it
More than one-third of adults in England have high blood pressure, and two-thirds of them are unaware of their diagnosis, according to a new study of 1.4 million adults published in BMJ Public Health. The study also reported that only half of adults with high blood pressure who are treated by a doctor have their condition adequately controlled.
A recent study analyzing blood pressure measurements of 1.4 million adults in England has revealed that two-thirds of those with high blood pressure remain unaware of their condition. This prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension poses significant risks, as high blood pressure is a leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, contributing to a substantial number of heart attacks and strokes in the UK.
Despite existing clinical guidelines, current estimates of hypertension awareness, treatment, and control have not shown improvement in recent decades. The study emphasizes the need for more proactive detection strategies and a shift towards targeted treatment based on predicted cardiovascular disease risk, in addition to traditional blood pressure levels.
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