Importance of the Hispanic heritage regarding diagnosis and management of hypertension

Abstract

Hypertension (HTN) is a very prevalent and growing clinical problem that is not always promptly diagnosed and ∼6% of US adults remain undiagnosed. Though numerous risk factors have been linked to the development of HTN, ethnicity has traditionally been simply considered as a significant risk among non-Hispanic Blacks. However, emerging data seems to suggest that Hispanics, the largest and fastest-growing minority in the USA, might have rates of uncontrolled HTN that significantly exceeds the rates observed for non-Hispanic whites. Unfortunately, paucity of a significant Hispanic representation in major clinical trials has raised significant healthcare concerns regarding our true understanding of the meaning of HTN and associated cardiovascular consequences among this ethnic group. Consequently, there is urgency not only in having a better understanding of HTN among Hispanics, but also to examine the potential factors that may play a role in regulating the expression of HTN and its associated cardiovascular manifestations in this ethnic group.

Keywords:

• Diabetes
• evidence-based medicine
• hypertension
• Hispanics
• latinos
• obesity
• population studies
• renal dysfunction.

Declaration of interest

The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.