Re-Classifying Hypertension in the Venezuelan EVESCAM Database Using 2017 AHA/ACC Criteria: High Prevalence, Poor Control, and Urgent Call for Action

BACKGROUND: In 2017 the American Heart Association (AHA)/American College of Cardiology (ACC) changed the criteria to define hypertension (HTN). OBJECTIVE: To re-analyze Venezuelan data to update HTN prevalence rates and estimate the number of adults with uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) using AHA/ACC criteria. METHODS: The EVESCAM was a national population-based, cross-sectional, randomized cluster sampling study, which assessed 3,420 adults from July 2014 to January 2017, with a response rate of 77.3%. The mean of two BP measurements was obtained using a standard oscillometric device protocol. HTN was defined using both 2017 AHA/ACC guideline (BP ≥ 130/80 mmHg) and JNC7 (BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg) criteria. FINDINGS: The crude prevalence of HTN using 2017 AHA/ACC guideline criteria was 60.4%, 13% higher than with the JNC7 criteria. The age-standardized prevalence was 55.4% in men and 49.0% in women (p < 0.001), 17.5% and 12.7% higher, respectively, compared with the JNC7 criteria. In subjects without self-reported HTN, the age-standardized prevalence of HTN was 43.4% in men and 32.3% in women, of whom, 22.9% and 19.2% were between 130–139/80–89 mmHg, respectively. In those with self-reported HTN, the prevalence of uncontrolled BP (≥130/80 mmHg) on antihypertensive medication was 66.8% in men and 65.8% in women. The total estimated number of subjects with HTN in Venezuela increased to 11 million, and only about 1.8 million are controlled. CONCLUSION: Using the new 2017 AHA/ACC guideline, the prevalence of HTN in Venezuela is approximately half of the adult population and associated with relatively poor BP control.