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Identification of Mild Hypertension and Some Risk Factors That Influence Prognosis
Author(s) -
ROBINSON S. K.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1973.tb01244.x
Subject(s) - medicine , blood pressure , stroke (engine) , population , mortality rate , pediatrics , surgery , environmental health , mechanical engineering , engineering
Mild hypertension is identified as a state in which the blood pressure (BP) is elevated, but there are no cardiac symptoms, no heart, brain, kidney or metabolic diseases, and no abnormalities in the optic fundi. Two grades of BP are suggested for the identification of mild hypertension, since the level of blood pressure influences the prognosis: in Grade 1 the BP ranges from 140/90 to 180/110 mm Hg, and in Grade 2 from 180/110 to 220/120 mm Hg. The yearly mortality rates over a ten‐year period were 0.3 and 1.3 per cent for patients with Grades 1 and 2 hypertension, i.e., of the same order as the mortality rate for the general population. Over a twenty‐year period the mortality rate was higher for patients with Grade 2 hypertension. In the Grade 1 group, the clinical status underwent only minimal changes during the first ten years; in the Grade 2 group, adverse changes in clinical status began to appear after five years. Breathlessness or anginal pain indicated a bad prognosis in both sexes. Presistent headache increased the risk of stroke, especially in females. Proper classification of mild hypertension can lessen the load in clinics, reduce expenses for drugs, and lessen the risk for the patient.