Many adults who are already treated with antihypertensive medication(s) may need to have their current medication dosage increased or to be prescribed additional medications to achieve blood pressure control (33.2 million).
Most adults with hypertension (4 in 5) are also recommended by a clinician to take prescription medication(s) (94.9 million).This is the only treatment recommendation for 1 in 5 adults (25.0 million). All adults with hypertension are recommended by a clinician to undergo lifestyle modifications.About 1 in 4 adults with hypertension have their hypertension under control (27.0 million).Nearly half of adults have hypertension (119.9 million).The key facts shown in the Figure and Tables 1 and 2 include the following estimates for the US adult population: 1Ĭlinicians diagnose patients as having hypertension and make treatment decisions by comparing patients’ systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings to certain thresholds.Ĭurrent guidelines issued in 2017 by many organizations-including the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA)-define hypertension as blood pressure consistently at or above 130/80 mm Hg.
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, two leading causes of death in the United States.
