Use of shopping centres in screening for hypertension.

In two Edmonton shopping centres 9591 people were screened for hypertension: 3.3% were found to be normotensive but taking antihypertensive medication and another 8.8% were found to have elevated blood pressure. Systolic hypertension alone accounted for 45.3% of the hypertensive cases and diastolic hypertension, with or without systolic, for 54%. Of the group with elevated blood pressure 34.5% had been previously unaware of their condition, 18.7% had never received medication for it, 18.2% had received medication in the past but had discontinued it, 26.1% were still on medication and 2.5% were not taking antihypertensive medication and were uncertain if they had ever done so in the past. Eighty-eight percent of the hypertensives who were receiving no medication went to their physician; 41% were prescribed antihypertensive medication, and 87% were still on treatment three months later and 74% one year after detection. Eighteen percent of those started on treatment had their medication discontinued by their doctor over the next year and 8% stopped treatment on their own. Of those hypertensives already receiving medication 88% went to their doctor and 33% had their medication altered.Physician measurements of blood pressure tended to be lower than those recorded at the screening. At least part of the explanation for this discrepancy is that physicians often used blood pressure cuffs that were too wide for the patient's arm; 25% of the people screened required cuffs narrower than the standard cuff used by most physicians.The prevalence of hypertension was similar among women taking oral contraceptives and women not taking these agents.