Prevalence, Patient Awareness, Treatment, and Control of Hypertension in Canadian Adults With Common Comorbidities

Background

Whether certain medical conditions are associated with blood pressure (BP) treatment and control is unclear.

Methods

Using the Canadian Health Measures Survey (2007-2019), BP was assessed according to the presence of selected comorbidities, including prior heart attack or stroke, dyslipidemia, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, obstructive sleep apnea, and overweight or obesity.

Results

A total of 5,841,453 people, representing 23.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 21.7%-24.2%) of Canadian adults, were hypertensive. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of having hypertension treated and controlled was higher in people with the following conditions, as compared to people without these conditions: a prior heart attack or stroke (aOR 3.15; 95% CI 2.31-4.31); dyslipidemia (aOR 2.51; 95% CI 1.96-3.21); obstructive sleep apnea (aOR 1.95; 95% CI 1.19-3.21); overweight or obesity (aOR 1.51; 95% CI 1.18-1.94); chronic kidney disease (aOR 1.49; 95% CI 1.13-1.95); and diabetes (aOR 1.44; 95% CI 1.12-1.86). Individuals without any of these comorbidities were less likely to have BP that is treated and controlled (aOR 0.34; 95% CI 0.25-0.48). Moreover, the prevalence of BP treatment and control was low among many people without prior heart attack or stroke, even those with a moderate (aOR 0.25; 95% CI 0.17-0.37) or high (aOR 0.10; 95% CI 0.06-0.16) Framingham risk.

Conclusions

Large differences in levels of BP control exist across comorbidity profiles, and the greatest gaps are seen in individuals without recognized comorbidities, even those who have a moderate-to-high Framingham risk. Efforts to optimize BP control and narrow care gaps, especially in individuals without recognized comorbidities, are necessary to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease and premature death in Canada.