Prevalence of Self-Reported Hypertension and Antihypertensive Medication Use Among Adults — United States, 2017–2021

Abstract

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke (1). The prevalence of hyperten-sion is higher among men than among women, increases with age, is highest among non-Hispanic blacks (blacks) (2), and has been consistently highest in the Southeastern region of the United States (1). To update prevalence estimates for self-reported hypertension and use of antihypertensive medication , CDC analyzed data from the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The overall (unadjusted) prevalence of self-reported hypertension was 32.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 32.1%-32.7%). The age-standardized, median state-specific prevalence of self-reported hypertension was 29.7% (range = 24.3%-38.6%). Overall age-standardized hypertension prevalence was higher among men (32.9%) than among women (27.0%), highest among blacks (40.0%), decreased with increasing levels of education and household income, and was generally highest in the Southeastern and Appalachian states.* Among persons reporting hypertension, the overall unadjusted prevalence of self-reported antihyper-tensive medication use was 76.0% (95% CI = 75.5%-76.4%). The age-standardized, median state-specific prevalence of antihypertensive medication use among persons with reported hypertension was 59.4% (range = 50.2%-71.2%). Prevalence was higher among women than men, highest among blacks compared with other racial/ethnic groups, and highest among states in the Southeast, Appalachia, and the Dakotas. These findings can help inform CDC's initiatives to enhance hyper-tension awareness, treatment, and control across all states. BRFSS † is an annual, random-digit-dialed telephone survey (both landline and mobile phone), representative of the noninstitutionalized adult population aged ≥18 years of the * https://www.arc.gov/appalachian_region/TheAppalachianRegion.asp. † https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.html. 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), and U.S. territories. In 2017, a total of 450,016 adults were interviewed. The present study includes data from the 50 states and DC; the median response rate was 45.9% (range = 30.6%-64.1%). § Respondents were classified as having hypertension if they answered "yes" to the question "Have you ever been told by a doctor, nurse, or other health professional that you have high § https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/annual_data/2017/pdf/2017-sdqr-508.pdf.