About a third of U.S. adults have high blood pressure

HYATTSVILLE, Md., Oct. 31 (UPI) -- The prevalence of hypertension -- high blood pressure -- among U.S. adults age 18 and older was 29 percent in 2011-12, similar to 2009-10, officials say.

Tatiana Nwankwo, Sung Sug "Sarah" Yoon, Vicki Burt and Dr. Qiuping Gu, of the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the prevalence of hypertension was similar for men and women at nearly one-third.

The prevalence increased with age and was highest among older adults; but was also highest among non-Hispanic black adults, at approximately 42 percent, the study said.

Among adults with hypertension, nearly 83 percent were aware of their high blood pressure, nearly 76 percent were taking medication to lower their blood pressure and nearly 52 percent were controlled. There was no change in awareness, treatment, and control from 2009-10 to 2011-12, the researchers said.

The researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011-12.