An international comparative study of blood pressure in populations of European vs. African descent

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The consistent finding of higher prevalence of hypertension in US blacks compared to whites has led to speculation that African-origin populations are particularly susceptible to this condition. Large surveys now provide new informat...

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Main Authors: Joffres Michel, Giampaoli Simona, Forrester Terrence, Banegas José R, Adeyemo Adebowale, Luke Amy, Wolf-Maier Katharina, Cooper Richard S, Kastarinen Mika, Primatesta Paola, Stegmayr Birgitta, Thamm Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2005-01-01
Series:BMC Medicine
Online Access:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/3/2
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Summary:<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The consistent finding of higher prevalence of hypertension in US blacks compared to whites has led to speculation that African-origin populations are particularly susceptible to this condition. Large surveys now provide new information on this issue.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using a standardized analysis strategy we examined prevalence estimates for 8 white and 3 black populations (N = 85,000 participants).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The range in hypertension prevalence was from 27 to 55% for whites and 14 to 44% for blacks.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data demonstrate that not only is there a wide variation in hypertension prevalence among both racial groups, the rates among blacks are not unusually high when viewed internationally. These data suggest that the impact of environmental factors among both populations may have been under-appreciated.</p>
ISSN:1741-7015