Hypertension treatment and control among u.s. adults 20 years of age or older, by disability type – nhanes, 2001-2010

Background: Hypertension is an important public health issue in the United States, affecting one in three adults and contributing to one in seven deaths each year. Approximately 56 million people in the U.S. have a disability. Although disability is associated with smoking, obesity and other chronic conditions, little is known about its association with hypertension. Methods: We used self-report and examination data from the combined 2001-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to examine the prevalence of treated, controlled; treated, uncontrolled; untreated; and no hypertension among U.S. adults stratified by four disability types: cognitive, vision, hearing, and mobility impairment. Results: Over one-third (38.6%) of adults reported any current disability. The prevalence of hypertension was higher among adults with disability (35.6%) than adults without disability (28.0%). The prevalence of hypertension ranged from 30.8% among those with hearing impairment to 40.8% among those with mobility impairment. The prevalence of treated, controlled hypertension was highest among adults with mobility (20.7%) and cognitive impairment (20.0%), while treated, uncontrolled hypertension was highest among adults with mobility (9.8%) and vision impairment (8.7%). Conversely, untreated hypertension was highest among adults without a disability (9.6%). Multivariate analysis showed that adults with mobility impairment were more likely than adults without a disability to have treated, uncontrolled hypertension (aPR: 1.23; 95%CI: 1.07,1.41). Conclusion: Adults with mobility impairment were more likely to have treated, but uncontrolled hypertension than adults without disability. This knowledge can help in developing public health programs and interventions that target hypertension control among all adults.