Hypertension epidemiology and economic burden: refining risk assessment to lower costs.

BACKGROUND

Hypertension (HTN) continues to be a serious public health problem in the United States and is a major risk factor for stroke, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and other serious cardiovascular and renal diseases. Because HTN can be asymptomatic, its detection and control continues to be a challenge. The total economic burden of HTN is estimated at $73.4 billion in 2009.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the potential prognostic utility of biomarkers to assess hypertension-related cardiovascular risk and their potential impact on treatment in the context of current epidemiology and demographics of HTN.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Although blood pressure control rates among people treated for HTN have increased from 51.3 percent to 63.9 percent over the past five years, there remains a vast unmet need for improved efficiency and effectiveness in diagnosis and treatment. Biomarkers provide a promising approach to improve detection and management of disease progression while optimizing health care expenditures.