Does new hypothesis explain higher blood pressure among African Americans?
Some 50 million Americans have high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association, yet the prevalence of essential hypertension – high blood pressure with no identifiable cause – is much higher in African Americans than in Caucasians. While this disparity is well documented, the mechanisms by which stress might contribute to these differences are far less clear. Most studies have used a “reactivity hypothesis” to help identify the reasons behind the differences. This hypothesis assumes that blacks exhibit exaggerated blood pressure (BP) responses to stress which produce vascular damage that underlies the premature development of…
Related Questions
- Why can the administration and the Congressional leaders explain the bill so Americans can understand it?
- Health behavior patterns of African Americans: are we making progress toward the Healthy People 2010 goals?
- Do African Americans worry that if whites come to my church, they’re going to take over?
