Abstract
ObjectiveAs the most important risk factors of cardiovascular disease, pre-hypertension and hypertension are important public health challenges. Few studies have focused on the trends of pre-hypertension and hypertension specifically for the aging population in China. Given the anticipated growth of the elderly population in China, there is an urgent need to document the conditions of pre-hypertension and hypertension in this aging population.MethodsWe conducted two cross-sectional surveys of Chinese adults aged ≥60 years in 2001 and 2010. A total of 2,272 (943 males, 1,329 females) and 2,074 (839 males, 1,235 females) participants were included in the two surveys, respectively.ResultsThe age- and sex-standardized prevalence of hypertension significantly increased from 60.1% to 65.2% from the 2001 to the 2010 survey. Among the participants with hypertension, the awareness, treatment and control of hypertension all significantly increased from 69.8% to 74.5%, 50.3% to 63.7%, and 15.3% to 30.3%, respectively, from 2001 to 2010. A logistic regression showed that a higher education level, a higher BMI, a family history of hypertension and doctor-diagnosed cardiovascular disease were significantly associated with hypertension awareness and treatment.ConclusionHypertension prevalence increased rapidly between the years surveyed. Although the awareness, treatment and control of hypertension improved significantly, the values of these variables remained low. More attention should be given to the elderly because the population is aging worldwide, and urgent action, optimal treatment approaches and proper public health strategies must be taken to prevent and manage hypertension.
Highlights
According to a WHO report, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is estimated to become the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide by 2020 [1]
A logistic regression showed that a higher education level, a higher Body mass index (BMI), a family history of hypertension and doctor-diagnosed cardiovascular disease were significantly associated with hypertension awareness and treatment
Given the anticipated growth of the elderly population in China, there is an urgent need to document the conditions of pre-hypertension and hypertension in this population
Summary
According to a WHO report, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is estimated to become the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide by 2020 [1]. A large number of studies have been conducted to evaluate the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension among the Chinese [5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12], but data on recent trends of prehypertension and hypertension prevalence are rare in China [13,14,15,16]. In developed countries such as the US, studies have reported trends of hypertension prevalence, for older US adults [17, 18]. Given the anticipated growth of the elderly population in China, there is an urgent need to document the conditions of pre-hypertension and hypertension in this population
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