Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Hypertension

Epidemiology and Cost of Illness

  • Review Article
  • Epidemiology
  • Published:
Disease Management & Health Outcomes

Summary

Hypertension is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions and a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately community control of hypertension remains unsatisfactory although treatment and control seems to be easy. The cost of treating hypertension is very high. It accounted for $US23.7 billion in the US (1995) and $US1660 million in Spain (1994). It can be estimated that hypertension represents 5.8% of total deaths and 1.4% of total disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide. Although it is important to increase the implementation of secondary prevention strategies, even increasing the direct costs, it is currently accepted that more comprehensive strategies specially focused on primary prevention are needed to reduce the social impact of the burden of hypertension.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kaplan NM. Primary hypertension. From pathophysiology to prevention. Arch Intern Med 1996; 156: 1919–20

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Report of a WHO Expert Committee. Hypertension Control. WHO Technical Report Series, 862. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1996

  3. Report of a WHO Espert Committee. Arterial hypertension. WHO Technical Report Series, 628. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1978

  4. Pardell H, editor. Arterial hypertension in Spain. 2nd ed. Madrid: Spanish League Against Arterial Hypertension (LELHA), 1986

    Google Scholar 

  5. WHO Regional Office for Europe. Study on hypertension control monitoring at community level. Copenhagen: World Health Organization, 1994

    Google Scholar 

  6. Spanish Society of Hypertension — Spanish League Against Arterial Hypertension (SEH-LELHA). Control of arterial hypertension in Spain 1996. Madrid: Ministry of Health, 1996

    Google Scholar 

  7. Whelton PK. Epidemiology of hypertension. Lancet 1994; 344: 101–6

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Kannel WB, McGee D, Gordon T. A general cardiovascular risk profile: the Framingham Study. Am J Cardiol 1976; 38: 46–51

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Kannel WB. Blood pressure as a cardiovascular risk factor. Prevention and treatment. JAMA 1996; 275: 1571–6

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. MacMahon S, Peto R, Cutler J, et al. Blood pressure, stroke, and coronary heart disease. Part I. Prolonged differences in blood pressure: prospective observational studies corrected for the regression dilution bias. Lancet 1990; 335: 765–74

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Plans P, Pardell H, Salleras L. Epidemiology of cardiovascular disease risk factors in Catalonia, Spain. Eur J Epidemiol 1993; 9: 381–9

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Stamler J, Stamler J, Neaton JD. Blood pressure, systolic and diastolic, and cardiovascular risk: US population data. Arch Intern Med 1993; 153: 598–615

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Murray CJL, Lopez AD. Evidence-based health policy: lessons from the Global Burden of Disease Study. Science 1996; 274: 740–3

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Ruilope LM, editor. Present situation of hypertension detection, treatment and control in Spain. Madrid: Spanish League Against Arterial Hypertension (LELHA), 1995

    Google Scholar 

  15. Strasser T, Wilhelmsen L, editors. Assessing hypertension control and management. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe, 1993

    Google Scholar 

  16. World Hypertension League. Hypertension control in our world: agenda for the coming decade. The 1995 WHL Ottawa Declaration. Final statement of the World Conference on Hypertension Control. 1995 June 22–24; Ottawa, Canada

  17. Winickoff RN, Murphy PK. The persistent problem of poor blood pressure control. Arch Intern Med 1987; 147: 1393–6

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Pardell H. Hypertension control, a pending challenge. Hypertension 1995; 12: 255–7

    Google Scholar 

  19. Report of a WHO Consultation. Workshop on hypertension control in the community: policy, strategies, monitoring and evaluation. 1994 Feb 27–Mar 1; Barcelona, Spain. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe, 1995

  20. Pardell H, Luque M, Aranda P, et al. Therapeutic compliance among hypertensives in Spain. Hypertension 1994; 11: 92–6

    Google Scholar 

  21. Haynes RB, Gibson ES, Taylor W, et al. Process versus outcome in hypertension: a positive result. Circulation 1982; 65: 28–33

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Johannesson M, Jönsson B. A review of cost-effectiveness analyses of hypertension treatment. Pharmacoeconomics 1992; 1: 250–64

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Thorn T. The economic costs of cardiovascular diseases in the United States, 1990. Bethesda (MD): National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 1993

    Google Scholar 

  24. Dustan HP, Roccella EJ, Garrison HH. Controlling hypertension. A research success story. Arch Intern Med 1996; 156: 1926–35

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Schauffer H, D’Agostino R, Kannel WB. Risk for cardiovascular disease in the elderly and associated Medicare costs: The Framingham Study. Am J Prev Med 1993; 9: 146–54

    Google Scholar 

  26. Badia X, Rovira J, Tresserras R, et al. The cost of arterial hypertension in Spain. Med Clin (Barc) 1992; 99: 769–73

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Pardell H, editor. Pharmacoeconomics of arterial hypertension. Madrid: Spanish Society of Hypertension — Spanish League Against Arterial Hypertension (SEH-LELHA), 1996

    Google Scholar 

  28. Koopmanschap MA, Rutten FFH. A practical guide for calculating indirect costs of disease. Pharmacoeconomics 1996; 10: 460–6

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Ménard J, Cornu PH, Day M. Cost of hypertension treatment and the price of health. J Hum Hypertens 1992, 6: 447–58

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Holloway RG, Witter Jr DM, Lawton KB, et al. Inpatient costs of specific cerebrovascular events at five academic medical centers. Neurology 1996; 46: 854–60

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Perry Jr HM. Implication of clinical trials. Am J Med 1988, 85: 675–96

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Pardell H, Armario P, Hernandez R. Progress in the 1980s and new directions in the 1990s with hypertension Management. Drugs 1992, 43: 1–5

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Lenfant C. High blood pressure. Some answers, new questions and continuing challenges. JAMA 1996; 275: 1604–6

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Dannenberg AL, Garrison RL, Kannel WB. Incidence of hypertension in the Framingham Study. Am J Public Health 1988; 78: 676–9

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Pardell H, Tresserras R, Salto E, et al. Economic considerations for joint antihypertension-antismoking programs. Can J Cardiol 1993, 9 Suppl. D: 175D–177D

    Google Scholar 

  36. Pardell H, Armario P, Hernandez R, et al. Environmental factors, development of hypertension and opportunities for prevention. J Hypertens 1992; 9: 255–61

    Google Scholar 

  37. Fries JF, Koop CE, Beadle CE, et al. Reducing health care costs by reducing the need and demand for medical services. N Engl J Med 1993; 329: 321–5

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Unit of Hypertension and Cardiovascular Risk, Red Cross Hospital, Av. José Molins, 29-41, 08906, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain

    Helios Pardell, Pedro Armario & Raquel Hernández

  2. Division of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Helios Pardell, Pedro Armario, Raquel Hernández & Ricard Tresserras

  3. Public Health Service, Ministry of Health and Social Security, Government of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain

    Helios Pardell & Ricard Tresserras

Authors
  1. Helios Pardell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pedro Armario
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Raquel Hernández
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ricard Tresserras
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Dr Helios Pardell is currently Professor of Medicine at the University of Barcelona, Head of the Internal Medicine Department at the Red Cross Hospital in Hospitalet de L10bregat (Barcelona) and Executive Director of the CINDI Programme in Catalonia, Spain. His professional and research interests are mainly focused on epidemiology of hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors and on intervention programmes at clinical and community levels.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pardell, H., Armario, P., Hernández, R. et al. Hypertension. Dis Manage Health Outcomes 1, 135–140 (1997). https://doi.org/10.2165/00115677-199701030-00003

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00115677-199701030-00003

Search

Navigation