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Elevated blood pressure in men accompanying patients to the obstetrician's office

D R Martin1, S Ventrapragada, T Behrend

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

American Journal of Hypertension
|September 12, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Many men have undiagnosed high blood pressure (hypertension). Obstetrician offices can be a key site for initial screening, identifying elevated blood pressure in partners of pregnant women.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Health
  • Public Health
  • Men's Health

Background:

  • Hypertension is a prevalent condition linked to increased adult mortality.
  • A significant portion of hypertensive individuals in the U.S. remain undiagnosed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of unrecognized elevated blood pressure (BP) in men accompanying pregnant women.
  • To assess the utility of obstetrician offices as a screening venue for male hypertension.

Main Methods:

  • Blood pressure measurements were offered to men accompanying pregnant women at four obstetrics practices.
  • Data collected included age, race, hypertension history, and relationship to the pregnant woman.
  • 191 men participated, with ages ranging from 15 to 69 years.

Main Results:

  • Elevated BP ( > 140/90 mm Hg) was identified in 40 participants (21%).
  • Of those with elevated BP, only 5% reported a prior diagnosis of hypertension.
  • The mean age of participants was 27 years.

Conclusions:

  • Obstetrician offices present a valuable opportunity for initial hypertension screening in men.
  • Further follow-up is essential to confirm the diagnostic accuracy of this screening approach.
  • Targeted screening in non-traditional settings can improve hypertension detection rates.

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