BACKGROUND: the clinical utility of the prehypertension label is questionable. We sought to estimate how often patients with prehypertension are being told about it by their primary care clinicians. METHODS: we conducted a cross-sectional study of adult patients visiting practices within the North Carolina Family Medicine Research Network in summer 2008. Non-hypertensive patients were asked whether a doctor or other health care provider had ever told them they had "prehypertension"; a subsample of patients with measured blood pressure (BP) in the prehypertension range was asked the same question. RESULTS: of 1008 non-hypertensive patients, 1.9% indicated being told they had prehypertension. Among a subsample of 102 patients with measured BP in the prehypertension range, 2.0% indicated being told they had prehypertension. CONCLUSION: few patients who probably have prehypertension are being told about it by clinicians.
BACKGROUND: the clinical utility of the prehypertension label is questionable. We sought to estimate how often patients with prehypertension are being told about it by their primary care clinicians. METHODS: we conducted a cross-sectional study of adult patients visiting practices within the North Carolina Family Medicine Research Network in summer 2008. Non-hypertensivepatients were asked whether a doctor or other health care provider had ever told them they had "prehypertension"; a subsample of patients with measured blood pressure (BP) in the prehypertension range was asked the same question. RESULTS: of 1008 non-hypertensivepatients, 1.9% indicated being told they had prehypertension. Among a subsample of 102 patients with measured BP in the prehypertension range, 2.0% indicated being told they had prehypertension. CONCLUSION: few patients who probably have prehypertension are being told about it by clinicians.
Authors: April P Carson; Cora E Lewis; David R Jacobs; Carmen A Peralta; Lyn M Steffen; Julie K Bower; Sharina D Person; Paul Muntner Journal: Hypertension Date: 2013-09-16 Impact factor: 10.190
Authors: Tanya M Spruill; Seth D Feltheimer; Manjunath Harlapur; Joseph E Schwartz; Gbenga Ogedegbe; Youngjun Park; William Gerin Journal: J Psychosom Res Date: 2013-02-15 Impact factor: 3.006