The age and sex incidence of arterial hypertension

Abstract

It has often been stated that essential hypertension † † The term “essential hypertension” is used to define persistent high blood pressure in the larger circulation due to other causes than primary genitourinary disease. is found most frequently among middle-aged and pre-elderly individuals. In only a few instances, however, have the statements been accompanied by statistics. Similarly, although the condition has been said to be more common among men than among women, the basis for establishing this as a fact has not been presented. There are few data available that concern directly either the age or the sex incidence of hypertension. However, a number of contributions appear in the literature, which contain reference to the ages of patients who were presented as illustrations of various aspects of hypertension or sphygmomanometry. Tables I-A-I-E compare the results of some of these investigations calculated and arranged according to the percentage of patients in different age periods. These reports have been separated into four groups as follows: A, hypertension as found in different periods of life; B, age of patients with hypertension at time of death; C, life insurance statistics; D, E, hospital reports. This classification is necessary for a discussion of the age incidence of hypertension because each group possesses characteristics which make it difficult to compare one group with another.