Abstract
We aimed to assess the trends in the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in Finnish men and women aged 60–74 years. Three independent cross-sectional population surveys were conducted in 1997, 2002 and 2007 in the province of North Karelia and the region of Helsinki–Vantaa. Random samples were selected from the national population register. The total number of participants was 3282. In 2007, the prevalence of hypertension was 79% in men and 78% in women. The mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) (in men, 151 mm Hg in 1997, 148 mm Hg in 2002 and 149 mm Hg in 2007; in women 150, 149 and 149 mm Hg, respectively) and prevalence of hypertension (77% in 1997, 74% in 2002 and 79% in 2007 in men; 75, 75 and 78% in women, respectively) remained stable. The mean diastolic blood pressure (BP) decreased in both genders. Awareness of hypertension increased from 60 to 71% in men (P<0.001 for trend) and from 66 to 76% (P=0.012) in women. The prevalence of antihypertensive drug treatment among hypertensive people increased from 35 to 56% in both genders (P<0.001). The proportion of treated hypertensive patients with adequately controlled BP increased from 16 to 32% in men (P<0.001) and from 16 to 30% in women (P=0.003). Hypertension care in older adults has improved in Finland during 1997 to 2007. The situation is not optimal: the main problem in this age group is high SBP.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles
$119.00 per year
only $9.92 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Mancia G, De Backer G, Dominiczak A, Cifkova R, Fagard R, Germano G et al. 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). J Hypertens 2007; 25: 1105–1187.
Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, Black HR, Cushman WC, Green LA, Izzo Jr JL et al. And the national high blood pressure education program coordinating committee seventh report of the joint national committee on prevention, detection, evaluation and treatment of high blood pressure. Hypertension 2003; 42: 1206–1252.
Lawes CMM, Vander Hoorn S . Rodgers a for the international society of hypertension global burden of blood pressure-related diseases. Lancet 2008; 371: 1513–1518.
Wolf-Maier K, Cooper R, Banagas JR, Giampaoli S, Hense H-W, Joffres M et al. Hypertension prevalence and blood pressure levels in 6 European countries, Canada and the United States. JAMA 2003; 289: 2263–2369.
Thijs L, Fagard R, Lijnen P, Staessen J, van Hoof R, Amery A . A meta-analysis of outcome trials in elderly hypertensives. J Hypertens 1992; 10: 1103–1109.
Kannel WB . Elevated systolic blood pressure as a cardiovascular risk factor. Am J Cardiol 2000; 85: 251–255.
Staessen JA, Gasowski J, Wang JG, Thijs L, den Hond ED, Boissel J-P et al. Risks of untreated and treated isolated systolic hypertension in the elderly: meta-analysis of outcome trials. Lancet 2000; 355: 865–872.
Lewington S, Clarke R, Qizilbash N, Peto R, Collins R . Prospective study collaboration. Age-specific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality: a meta-analysis of individual data for one million adults in 61 prospective studies. Lancet 2002; 360: 1903–1913.
Franklin SS, Larson MG, Khan SA, Wong ND, Leip EP, Kannel WB et al. Does the relation of blood pressure to coronary heart disease change with aging? The Framingham Heart Study. Circulation 2001; 103: 1245–1249.
Kannel WB, Gordon T, Schwartz MJ . Systolic versus diastolic blood pressure and risk of coronary heart disease. The Framingham Study. Am J Cardiol 1971; 27: 335–346.
The Joint National Committee on Prevention Detection Evaluation reatment of High Blood Pressure. The Fifth Report of the Joint National Committee on prevention, detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood pressure. Arch Intern Med 1993; 153: 154–183.
Suomen sydäntautiliiton työryhmän kannanotto. Kohonneen verenpaineen ehkäisy. Suom Lääkl 1994; 49: 1831–1840.
Guidelines committee. 2003 European Society of Hypertension-of the European Society of Cardiology guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension. J Hypertens 2003; 21: 1011–1053.
WHO Monica Project. MONICA manual, part III: population survey, Available at http://www.ktl.fi/publications/monica/manual/part3/iii-1htm. Accessed 2 February 2006.
Tolonen H, Kuulasmaa K, Laatikainen T, Wolf H . Recommendation for indicators, international collaboration, protocol and manual operations of chronic disease risk factor surveys 2002; Available at http://www.ktl.fi/ehrm; Accessed: 2 February 2006.
Friedewald WT, Levy RI, Fredrickson DS . Estimation of the concentration of low density lipoprotein cholesterol in plasma, without use of the preparative ultracentrifuge. Clin Chem 1972; 18: 499–502.
Antikainen RL, Moltchanov VA, Chukwuma Sr C, Kuulasmaa KA, Marques-Vidal PM, Sans S et al. for the WHO MONICA Project; Trends in the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension: the WHO MONICA Project. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil 2006; 13: 13–29.
Primatesta P, Poulter NR . Improvement in hypertension in England: results from the Health Survey for England. J Hypertens 2006; 24: 1187–1192.
Ostchega Y, Dillon CF, Hughes JP, Carroll M, Yoon S . Trends in hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control in older US. Adults: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1988–2004. J Am Geriatr Soc 2007; 55: 1056–1065.
Su T-C, Bai C-H, Chang H-Y, You S-L, Chien K-Li, Cheng M-F et al Evidence for improved control of hypertension in Taiwan: 1993–2002. J Hypertens 2008; 26: 600–606.
Gu D, Reynolds K, Wu X, Chen J, Duan X, Muntner P et al. Interasia collaborative group. The international collaborative study of cardiovascular disease in Asia. prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in China. Hypertension 2002; 40: 920–927.
Banegas JR, Rodríguez-Artalejo F, Ruilope LM, Graciani A, Luque M, de la Cruz-Troca JJ et al. Hypertension magnitude and management in the elderly population of Spain. J Hypertens 2002; 20: 2157–2164.
Fasce E, Campos I, Ibáñez P, Flores M, Zárate H, Román O et al. Trends in prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in urban communities in Chile. J Hypertens 2007; 25: 1807–1811.
Ong KL, Cheung BMY, Man YB, Lau CP, Lam KSL . Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control among United States Adults 1999–2004. Hypertension 2007; 49: 69–75.
Macedo ME, Lima MJ, Silva AO, Alcantara P, Ramalhinho V, Carmona J . Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in Portugal: the PAP study. J Hypertens 2005; 23: 1661–1666.
Falaschetti E, Chaudhury M, Mindell J, Poulter N . Continued improvement in Hypertension Management in England. Results from Health Survey for England 2006. Hypertension 2009; 53: 480–486.
Cutler JA, Sorlie PD, Wolz M, Thom T, Fields LE, Roccella EJ . Trends in hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment and control rates in United States adults between 1988–1994 and 1999–2004. Hypertension 2008; 52: 818–827.
Wyatt SB, Akylbekova EL, Wofford MR, Coady SA, Walker ER, Andrew ME et al. Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in the Jackson Heart Study. Hypertension 2008; 51: 650–656.
Wang YR, Alexander GC, Stafford RS . Outpatient hypertension treatment, treatment intensification and control in Western Europe and the United States. Arch Intern Med 2007; 167: 141–147.
Kastarinen M, Antikainen R, Peltonen M, Laatikainen T, Barengo N, Jula A et al. Prevalence, awareness and treatment of hypertension in Finland during 1982–2007. J Hypertens 2009; 27: 1552–1559.
Kastarinen MJ, Antikainen RL, Laatikainen TK, Salomaa VV, Tuomilehto JO, Nissinen AM et al. Trends in hypertension care in eastern and south-western Finland during 1982–2002. J Hypertens 2006; 24: 829–836.
Cushman WC, Ford CE, Cutler JA, Margolis K, Davis BR, Grimm RM et al. for the ALLHAT Collaborative Research Group##Success and predictors of blood pressure control in diverse North American settings: The Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT). J Clin Hypertens 2002; 4: 393–404.
Wang TJ, Vasan R . Epidemiology of uncontrolled hypertension. Circulation 2005; 112: 1651–1662.
Mancia G, Grassi G . Systolic and diastolic blood pressure control in antihypertensive drug trials. J Hypertens 2002; 20: 1461–1464.
Fagard RH, Staessen JA, Thijs L, Celis H, Bulpitt CJ, de Leeuw P et al. On-treatment diastolic blood pressure and prognosis in systolic hypertension. Arch Intern Med 2007; 167: 1884–1891.
Boutitie F, Gueyffier F, Pocock S, Fagard P, Boissel JP . J-shaped relationship between blood pressure and mortality in hypertensive patients: new insight from a meta-analyses of individual-patient data. Ann Intern Med 2002; 136: 438–448.
Somes GW, Pahor M, Shorr RI, Cushman WC, Applegate WB . The role of diastolic blood pressure when treating isolated systolic hypertension. Ann Intern Med 1999; 159: 2004–2008.
Tuomilehto J, Ryynänen O-P, Koistinen A, Rastenyte D, Nissinen A, Puska P . Low diastolic blood pressure and mortality in a population-based cohort of 16 913 hypertensive patients in North Karelia, Finland. J Hypertens 1998; 16: 1235–1242.
Wang J-G, Staessen JA, Franklin SS, Fagard R, Gueyffier F . Systolic and diastolic blood pressure lowering as determinants of cardiovascular outcome. Hypertension 2005; 45: 907–913.
Kannel WB, Vasan RS . Aggressive lowering of blood pressure. Lancet 2006; 368: 627–628.
Bailey KR, Grossardt BR, Graves JW . Novel use of Kaplan–Meier methods to explain age and gender differences in hypertension control rates. Hypertension 2008; 51: 841–847.
Boyd CM, Darer J, Boult C, Fried LP, Boult L, Wu AW . Clinical practice guidelines and quality of care for older patients with multiple comorbid diseases. Implications for pay for performance. JAMA 2005; 294: 716–724.
Wang PS, Avorn J, Brookhart MA, Mogun H, Schneeweiss S, Fischer MA et al. Effects of noncardiovascular comorbidities on antihypertensive use in elderly hypertensives. Hypertension 2005; 46: 273–279.
Turner BJ, Hollenbeak CS, Weiner M, Ten Have T, Tang SSK . Effect on unrelated comorbid conditions on hypertension management. Ann Intern Med 2008; 148: 578–586.
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by grants from the Finnish Academy 119681, the Finnish Cardiovascular Research Foundation and the Social Welfare and Health Board, City of Oulu.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Antikainen, R., Kastarinen, M., Jousilahti, P. et al. Despite evidence-based guidelines, systolic blood pressure remains inadequately controlled in older hypertensive adults. J Hum Hypertens 24, 439–446 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2009.85
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2009.85
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Cost effectiveness of antihypertensive drugs and treatment guidelines
European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2021)
-
Hypertension management initiative prospective cohort study: comparison between immediate and delayed intervention groups
Journal of Human Hypertension (2014)
-
Trends in prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension, and the risk of mortality among middle-aged Lithuanian urban population in 1983–2009
BMC Cardiovascular Disorders (2012)
-
Hypertension therapy in the older adults—do we know the answers to all the questions? The status after publication of the ACCF/AHA 2011 expert consensus document on hypertension in the elderly
Journal of Human Hypertension (2012)