One-third of CVD in blacks attributable to hypertension

(HealthDay)—A substantial proportion of cases of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among black individuals are associated with hypertension, according to a study published online Oct. 23 in JAMA Cardiology.

Donald Clark III, M.D., from University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, and colleagues assessed the population-attributable risk (PAR) for CVD associated with hypertension among black adults. The analysis included 12,497 black adults (>21 years) participating in the Jackson Heart Study (Sept. 26, 2000, through March 31, 2004, with follow-up through 2015) and the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study (July 1, 2003, through Sept. 12, 2007, with follow-up through March 31, 2016).

The researchers found that 15.5 percent of participants had normal blood pressure, 7.4 percent had elevated blood pressure, and 77 percent had hypertension. Nearly 10 percent of participants experienced a CVD event. Among non-Hispanic black individuals, the adjusted hazard ratio associated with hypertension was 1.91 for CVD, 2.41 for coronary heart disease, 1.52 for heart failure, and 2.20 for stroke. For CVD, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke, the hypertension-associated PARs were 32.5, 42.7, 21.6, and 38.9 percent, respectively. Among those aged <60 years, the PAR was higher versus those ≥60 years (54.6 versus 32 percent).

"Interventions to maintain normal blood pressure throughout the life course may reduce the incidence of CVD in this population," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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