CDC researchers report that adults with disabilities had higher rates of hypertension compared to adults without disabilities.
Researchers combined data from the 2001-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to obtain estimates of hypertension prevalence by disability status and type and assess the association between disability and hypertension. They found that overall, 34 percent of adults with disabilities had hypertension compared with 27 percent of adults without disabilities; and adults with mobility limitations were more likely to have hypertension than adults without disabilities.
Researchers say the prevalence of hypertension among people with disabilities is not well understood and say that study results suggest that adults living with disabilities are an important subpopulation to include in hypertension reporting and intervention efforts.
Research: Hypertension Among US Adults by Disability Status and Type, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2010, Alissa Stevens, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing Chronic Disease, published 14 August 2014.