A new study from Yale University has found something worrying: more older Americans are being rushed to the hospital for dangerous jumps in blood pressure than ever before.
This is happening even though the country has been working for years to improve blood pressure control.
The researchers looked at data from 1999 to 2019. They focused on people aged 65 and older who were covered by Medicare. What they found was surprising and upsetting—hospitalizations for severe high blood pressure, also called hypertensive emergencies, have more than doubled over the past 20 years.
These emergencies happen when someone’s blood pressure gets very high, very suddenly. This can lead to serious problems like heart attacks, strokes, or damage to important organs if not treated right away.
In medical terms, it’s when your systolic blood pressure (the top number) is 130 mm Hg or more, or your diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) is 80 mm Hg or more.
The number of these emergencies has been growing by about 5.6% every year. Among Black Americans, the increase was even higher—about 6% each year. From 2017 to 2019, Black Americans were three times more likely to be hospitalized for these dangerous blood pressure spikes compared to other groups.
One of the most shocking parts of the study was how big the differences were in different parts of the country. The South had the highest number of hospitalizations.
This area has long been known as the “stroke belt” because of its high rates of stroke and heart disease. Experts believe that things like poverty, less access to doctors, and unhealthy lifestyle habits might be part of the reason for this.
The lead author of the study, Yuan Lu, said that even though people know high blood pressure is bad for the heart, the rising number of hospital visits shows that many people may not even know they have high blood pressure, or they are not treating it properly. Some might not have regular doctor visits or access to good medical care.
This is especially true for Black Americans, who already have higher rates of high blood pressure and face more serious health problems because of it. The study makes it clear that we need to do more to help this community and others who are at greater risk.
Even though there are better medicines and more awareness about high blood pressure today, it’s clear that the current strategies are not working well for everyone. Many people are still ending up in the hospital because their blood pressure got out of control.
The study was published in the journal Circulation. It shows that more action is needed to help people—especially older adults—stay healthy and avoid these dangerous emergencies. Paying attention to blood pressure and getting help early can save lives.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies about unhealthy habits that may increase high blood pressure risk, and drinking green tea could help lower blood pressure.
For more information about high blood pressure, please see recent studies about what to eat or to avoid for high blood pressure, and 12 foods that lower blood pressure.
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