In a study from Keele University, the top cardiovascular (CVD) diagnoses from U.S. emergency departments suggest that many heart emergencies are due to poorly controlled or uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Researchers found that 13% of all heart-related emergency department diagnoses, representing more than 2.7 million people, were for “essential” high blood pressure not caused by other diseases.
Of the 15 CVD conditions detailed in the study, about 30% were hypertension-related diagnoses.
In the study, the team analyzed heart diagnoses made during emergency department visits that were part of the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample from 2016-2018.
The sample was 48.7% women, and the average age was 67 years. The majority were Medicare or Medicaid participants.
Men in the sample were more likely to have other diseases in addition to heart disease, such as diabetes, while women had higher rates of obesity, high blood pressure and medical conditions that affect blood vessels in the brain.
The team found the most common heart- or stroke-related diagnoses for women seen in the emergency department were high blood pressure (16% of visits), high blood pressure-related heart or kidney disease (14.1%), and atrial fibrillation (10.2%).
The most common diagnoses for men were high blood pressure-related heart or kidney disease (14.7%), high blood pressure (10.8%), and heart attack (10.7%).
The study found that outcomes from the emergency CVD visits were slightly different for men and women.
Overall, women were less likely to die (3.3% of women vs 4.3% of men) or be hospitalized (49.1% of women vs 52.3% of men) after an emergency department visit for CVD.
The difference may be due to women’s generally lower risk diagnoses, but there could be an underestimation of deaths in women.
The study highlights differences in the health care needs of men and women, which may be useful to inform the planning and provision of healthcare services.
They also encourage further research into understanding the underlying factors driving the differences in CVD patterns and outcomes between men and women.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about how fasting may help reverse high blood pressure naturally, and 5 medicines to treat high blood pressure.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies that blood pressure swings could be an early sign of heart disease, and results showing beetroot may protect against high blood pressure.
The study was conducted by Mamas A. Mamas et al and published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Copyright © 2022 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
