Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association Rapid Access Reports: Hispanics' Hypertension Better Controlled With Equal Acce...(ic whites and 59 percent of non-Hispanic...),Health

At two years, Hispanic whites had 20 percent greater odds of achieving blood pressure control compared to non-Hispanic whites, after researchers adjusted for demographic differences and co-morbidities such as diabetes, smoking and existing cardiovascular disease. Hispanic blacks had similar odds of achieving blood pressure control; however, non-Hispanic blacks had 27 percent lower odds of achieving blood pressure control at two years.

When participants from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were excluded in a separate analysis at two years, blood pressure control was equivalent in Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites enrolled at sites in the mainland U.S. and Canada.

The ALLHAT study included 32,642 Hispanic whites, Hispanic blacks, non- Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks in a randomized practice-based trial in 623 sites in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Researchers conducted ALLHAT to determine what type of drug was more effective in preventing the cardiovascular complications of hypertension in high-risk men and women. Participants were seen every three months the first year and every four months thereafter. All had hypertension and at least one additional risk factor for coronary heart disease. Participants were treated with one of three initial drugs, and then additional therapy if the hypertension was not controlled. "The goal was for participants to reach a blood pressure less than 140/90 mmHg."

"This was the first study to compare blood pressure control in these four race-ethnicity categories," said Margolis, who is also an associate professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota.

Hispanic ALLHAT participants were more likely than non-Hispanic participants to have higher, uncontrolled blood pressure despite treatment at the time of enrollment, she said.

Margolis stressed the importance of controlling blood pressure in Hispanics, t
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