Who gets High Blood Pressure?

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

Who has it?

According to estimates based on the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and on U.S. Census information, one-fourth of the general adult population in America has some degree of high blood pressure--a total of about 50 million people. Approximately 1 billion people worldwide have hypertension. Today it's estimated that there is a 19.3% prevalence of hypertension among white women, 24.4% among white men, 34.2% among black women, 35% among black men, 22% among Mexican-American women, and 25.2% among Mexican-American men.

Older persons also develop hypertension more often than younger individuals. Today it's estimated that in the older population (greater than 60 years of age), the prevalence of hypertension is 60%. As the population continues to age, it is expected that these numbers will also continue to increase. For unexplained reasons, people who live in the Southeastern part of the U.S. also seem to have higher rates of hypertension.

Approximately 45 million Americans have "prehypertension." These individuals are at increased risk for going on to develop hypertension.