Research shows that greater numbers of Americans are living with high blood pressure, according to a press release by the American Medical Association (AMA).
The latest research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that more Americans, especially people from communities of color, were living with uncontrolled high blood pressure in 2017-2018 than ever before despite the fact that we have more scientific evidence than previously pointing to the devastating effects of unchecked high blood pressure and broader access to low-cost generic medications.
The research emphasizes the need for health care providers and patients to prioritize blood pressure control as people who live with unchecked high blood pressure are at higher risk for heart attack, stroke, disability and death. Cardiovascular disease has also been found to place people at greater risk for negative health effects related to COVID-19.
The data also highlights the need to address problematic factors, such as systematic racism, that is responsible for the increased pervasiveness of hypertension among populations of color.
The AMA and the American Heart Association (AHA) pledged their commitment to continue their efforts to ensure that physicians and all Americans have access to the health care and support to control high blood pressure, especially those from underrepresented and disadvantaged communities.
In response to the growing threat of high blood pressure to patients, the AMA launched a platform with the aim of improving blood pressure control. The platform provides online resources that makes it easier for physicians and caretakers to access the latest evidence-based information they need to help manage patients’ high blood pressure.
These tools are available to all physicians and health systems through the AMA website as part of the AMA and AHA’s joint Target: BP™ initiative. The initiative was launched in 2016 to urge physicians, health systems and patients to prioritize blood pressure control in an effort to reduce the number of Americans who die from heart attacks and strokes each year.
