Introduction
High blood pressure is identified to be a serious health issue among the African American population. According to American Heart Association, a person from the African American community is likely to develop high blood pressure at some point in his lifetime (High Blood Pressure and African Americans, 2014).). This paper will create understanding of high blood pressure in African American people and the ways to mange this health condition.
High BP in African Americans
Statistical data released by the American Heart Association indicates that over 40 percent of the African American people have high blood pressure or hypertension (High Blood Pressure and African Americans, 2014).). It is alarming to see that people from the African American community develop hypertension at younger ages compared to other ethnic groups in the United States. Hence, African Americans are susceptible to the risk of developing other complications associated with hypertension such as stroke, dementia, blindness, and heart diseases. Although researchers have not yet identified the actual causes of increased prevalence rate of high blood pressure among the African American population, they agree on finding that high incidence rate of hypertension in this community may be linked to genetic and environmental factors. For instance, the African Americans in the United States take more salt-content foods, and this genetic health behavior in turn increases their risk of developing hypertension. While considering the Black population worldwide, it seems that they have hypertension rates that are almost similar to the Whites. When it comes to the United States, nearly 41 percent of African Americans have hypertension compared to 27 percent of Whites (High Blood Pressure in African-Americans, (n.d.). WebMD). Hence, researchers argue that environmental factors may be strongly linked to increased incidence rate of hypertension in the Blacks in US. Another finding is that high prevalence rates of obesity and diabetes in African Americans significantly increase their chances of developing high blood pressure and other heart diseases.
Managing High BP in African Americans
Hypertension is a chronic disease, and therefore it is a lifelong condition. However, this chronic health condition can be managed effectively if the victim accepts the disease and makes necessary changes in his lifestyle. Proper use of lifestyle medication is the best way to prevent this health condition and to treat it in the early stages of development. According to a study conducted by the International Society of Hypertension, most of the African Americans with hypertension require combination therapy to achieve the desired BP goals (Ferdinand & Armani, 2007). Although a range of hypertensive agents have been proved to be effective for managing hypertension, physicians must be vigilant while choosing the drugs for combination therapy in African American patients. Within the African American community, the responsiveness to various drug therapies may be notably different, and this condition may significantly influence the patient outcomes (Ferdinand & Armani). Undoubtedly, negligence in managing hypertension may lead to life threatening health conditions such as stroke and serious cardiovascular diseases. Restricted intake of salt is an effective way to manage high blood pressure in African Americans. Currently different hypertension therapies are available to combat the growing prevalence of hypertension in the African American group.
Conclusion
References
Ferdinand, K. C & Armani, A. M. (2007). The management of hypertension in African Americans. Critical Pathways in Cardiology, 6 (2):67-71.
High Blood Pressure and African Americans. (2014). American Heart Association. Retrieved from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/UnderstandYourRiskforHighBloodPressure/High-Blood-Pressure-and-African-Americans_UCM_301832_Article.jsp
High Blood Pressure in African-Americans. (n.d.). WebMD. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/hypertension-in-african-americans
