Is this because we more readily prescribe drugs?
High blood pressure is controlled better in the United States than in five Western European countries, a study found, and researchers credit American doctors’ more aggressive prescribing of drugs.The researchers pointed proudly to the findings, saying that the U.S. strategy of prescribing more pills earlier probably saves money overall by preventing heart attacks and strokes . . .
. . . The researchers looked at doctors’ reports on more than 21,000 patients treated for hypertension. They found that post-treatment blood pressure was 134 over 79 on average in the United States; 139/80 in France; 141/83 in Germany; 143/84 in Italy; 141/83 in Spain; and 144/82 in Britain.
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{ 4 comments }
But are there less strokes in the US?
But do we eat more mcdonalds?
It is absolutely untrue that American physicians have managed to control hypertension in the 35-55 y/o age range.
We may control it ‘better’ than in other countries-but we have still failed to control it to the point that risk of significant cardiac insult has been brought to the point where it should be-given our resources to do so-our effete posturing that our medical schools are innately better-and our snobby attitude that our system is superior to systems of education elsewhere.
Don’t kid yourself-Plenty of American hypertensives and diabetics are running around improperly treated.
The average American GP isn’t even sure what level to maintain and what drug combination works best-despite being detailed and given access to many sessions of inservice and cme conferences on the subject.
Uncontrolled hypertension in the perioperative population is rampant. And it’s not because-as most doctors claim- of the anxiety associated with being in the office or the OR. It’s this same attitude which prevents these same doctors from managing the problem effectively.
I don’t care how anxious you are for your outpatient hernia repair-your BP shouldn’t be 160/95. Unless your cuff belongs to a Liliputian.
I believe there are more obese people in the US so the preemptive measures with strokes went up. That was my assumption. The obesity of the US is higher than everywhere else that’s why we have to kick butt on hypertension but we lose on everything else.
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