High Blood Pressure in Massachusetts

Massachusetts

High blood pressure (or hypertension) is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, which are the leading and fifth-leading causes of death in the United States, respectively. In 2022, nearly 690,000 deaths in the U.S. were caused by complications of hypertension.

High blood pressure often shows no signs or symptoms. Once diagnosed, however, it can be controlled through a combination of diet, exercise and medication. High blood pressure is influenced by risk factors that can be modified, such as smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, poor diet (eating foods high in sodium and low in potassium) and excessive alcohol use. 

In 2019-2020, the total cost of high blood pressure in the United States was $52.4 billion. By 2035, it is projected that the direct medical costs of high blood pressure could reach $154 billion.

According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of diagnosed high blood pressure is higher among:

• Men compared with women.
• Adults age 65 and older compared with younger adults.
• Black, white and American Indian/Alaska Native adults compared with Asian adults. 
• Adults with less than a college degree; college graduates have the lowest prevalence of high blood pressure. 
• Adults with an annual household income less than $25,000 compared with those with higher levels of income. 
• Adults living in nonmetropolitan areas compared with adults living in metropolitan areas.
• Adults who have difficulty with mobility compared with adults without a disability.
• Straight adults compared with lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer (LGBQ+) adults. 
• Adults who have served in the U.S. armed forces compared to those who have not.

Many people can manage high blood pressure through lifestyle modification and health care intervention. Effective interventions include eating a healthy diet, increasing physical activity, quitting or not starting smoking, limiting alcohol intake, getting enough sleep, taking blood pressure medication properly and screening every year or as a doctor recommends. Adults with high blood pressure may monitor their blood pressure at home with a home blood pressure monitor.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends pharmacy-based interventions to improve medication adherence for blood pressure control and cardiovascular disease prevention. There is strong evidence that interventions delivered by pharmacists to the community increase the number of patients who take their medications as prescribed. Examples of interventions include assessment tools to identify adherence barriers and target strategies based on the results, medication refill synchronization and medication counseling.

Healthy People 2030 has multiple cardiovascular health objectives, including reducing the proportion of adults with high blood pressure and increasing control of high blood pressure in adults.

“Cardiovascular Disease: A Costly Burden for America — Projections Through 2035.” American Heart Association CVD Burden Report. Washington, D.C.: American Heart Association, 2017. https://www.heart.org/-/media/files/get-involved/advocacy/burden-report-consumer-report.pdf.

Martin, Seth S., Aaron W. Aday, Zaid I. Almarzooq, Cheryl A. M. Anderson, Pankaj Arora, Christy L. Avery, Carissa M. Baker-Smith, et al. “2024 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: A Report of US and Global Data From the American Heart Association.” Circulation 149, no. 8 (February 20, 2024). https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001209.