Racial and ethnic differences in hypertension

Abstract

Hypertension is a major cause of disease burden in all racial and ethnic groups and in both developing and developed regions and countries. Much of the racial and ethnic disparity in cardiovascular outcomes can be attributed to the excess burden of hypertension. Racial and ethnic differences in blood pressure occur because of biology and sociology. Causes of racial differences in blood pressure likely begin early in life and reflect the complex relationship of these gene and environment interactions. Hypertension treatment and control remain less than optimal worldwide, and awareness is still a problem in many racial and ethnic groups. Instituting lifestyle changes for the primary prevention and treatment of hypertension among the general population would decrease prevalence and be effective in eliminating many racial and ethnic differences. This review highlights racial and ethnic differences in the prevalence and incidence of hypertension and identifies contributing factors associated with these differences.

Association between insulin, leptin, adiponectin and blood pressure in youth

“…In contrast to our data and those of Lurbe et al [44], both collected exclusively in white participants, such an interaction was not observed in a sample of adolescents of diverse ethnic origins [45]. There are known sex [48] and ethnic [49] differences in the regulation of BP. There are also known sex-dependent changes in insulin sensitivity during puberty: girls are more insulin resistant than boys and a transient state of insulin resistance develops during puberty [40,50].…”

Prevalence and determinants of white coat effect in a large UK hypertension clinic population

“…Pathophysiologically, higher renin-angiotensin-aldosterone White coat effect in a UK hypertension clinic population O Thomas et al activity plays a major role in the causation and maintenance of primary hypertension in Caucasians, whereas in those of AfricanCaribbean origin, salt retention is more important. 28 It could be argued that there are racial differences in the stress response that may account for the difference, as WCE is thought to be mediated through the sympathetic nervous system, 29 but this is purely hypothetical. There is a paucity of data with regard to relative roles of different factors in the causation and maintenance of hypertension in South Asian people, although metabolic risk factors including diabetes are more common in this group.…”

Hypertension in the US Black Population: Risk Factors, Complications, and Potential Impact of Central Aortic Pressure on Effective Treatment

“…Hypertension in the US black population has been associated with obesity (especially in women), excess dietary sodium intake coupled with salt sensitivity, low dietary potassium intake, excess alcohol intake, and an inadequate intake of dietary fruits and vegetables [10][11][12][13]. Racial differences exist for many of these risk factors.…”