One-third of American adults have hypertension, but many let the disease go untreated, which may be why it is the second leading cause of death. An NPR article by Brenda Wilson explores why hypertension is so easy to diagnose, yet is often undertreated. She noted an Institute of Medicine (IOM) panel reported more than two-thirds of people with hypertension do not have it under control.
Most people seem to have diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number that measures the heart at rest) under control, but systolic blood pressure (the top number that measures the heart while pumping) causes a problem for many people. National Institutes of Health (NIH) guidelines set lower levels of normal blood pressure at 120/80 in 2003. However, the article said physicians did not catch onto the reduced levels. Before the new guidelines, most doctors believed diastolic blood pressure could be as high as 160 before a hypertension diagnoses. Additionally, medical schools a decade taught doctors systolic blood pressure wasn’t really that important.
When faced with a hypertension diagnosis, some patients ask their doctors to refrain from prescribing medications, so they can try lifestyle changes first. However, many don’t make the necessary changes, wrote Wilson. Doctors want to be nice guys, she said, and this patient/doctor denial can last years. And, when doctors only have a limited time with patients, they may not have the time to counsel them through steps to reduce blood pressure without drugs.
The drugs for this disease are plenty and inexpensive, she noted, but can cause unwanted side effects like depression, dry mouth, erectile dysfunction and insomnia.