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Knowledge of blood pressure levels and targets in patients with coronary artery disease in the USA

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 19, pages 769–774 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Little is known about patient awareness of nationally recommended blood pressure targets, especially among patients with cardiac disease. To examine this issue, we interviewed 738 patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease to assess their knowledge of their systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels as well as corresponding national targets. We used bivariate and multivariate analyses to determine if any patient demographic or clinical characteristics were associated with blood pressure knowledge. Only 66.1% of patients could recall their own systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels. Only 48.9% of all patients could correctly name targets for these values. Knowledge of target blood pressure levels was particularly poor among patients who were female (odds ratio (OR) 0.69; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.49–0.98), aged ⩾60 years (OR 0.70, CI 0.51–0.97), without any college education (OR 0.48, CI 0.35–0.65), without a documented history of hypertension (OR 0.57, CI 0.39–0.84), and with known diabetes (OR 0.46, CI 0.33–0.66). Patients in the highest risk group, according to Joint National Committee guidelines stratification, were no more knowledgeable about their blood pressure levels and targets than lower risk patients. A significant proportion of patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease do not know their own blood pressure levels or targets. Current blood pressure education efforts appear inadequate, particularly for certain patient subgroups in which hypertension is an important modifiable risk factor.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by a grant from Pfizer. Dr Lichtman is a Goddess Fund Career Development Scholar. There are no relationships that could be perceived as real or apparent conflict(s) of interest with regard to the subject matter of this manuscript.

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Author notes

  1. S Cheng

    Present address: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale-New Haven Health, New Haven, CT, USA

    S Cheng, J A Mattera, S A Roumanis & H M Krumholz

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, USA

    J H Lichtman & H M Krumholz

  3. Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, USA

    J M Amatruda & H M Krumholz

  4. Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, USA

    G L Smith

  5. Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, New Haven, CT, USA

    H M Krumholz

Authors
  1. S Cheng
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  2. J H Lichtman
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  3. J M Amatruda
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  4. G L Smith
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  5. J A Mattera
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Correspondence to H M Krumholz.

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Cheng, S., Lichtman, J., Amatruda, J. et al. Knowledge of blood pressure levels and targets in patients with coronary artery disease in the USA. J Hum Hypertens 19, 769–774 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1001895

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1001895

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