Outcome among untreated hypertensives in the general population in Taiwan

The outcome of untreated hypertension was investigated in a population of 17,713 persons in southern Taiwan who were aged 15 or over when they had taken part in a blood pressure survey in 1963. In the 27-year follow-up period, 55.8% of the overall mortality was comprised of those who were found to be hypertensive (as defined by WHO) in 1963, 31.3% by borderline hypertensives, and 22.6% by normotensives. The 27-year mortality rate due to stroke was much higher in hypertensives than in normotensives (11.4% vs 1.8%, respectively). The 5-year survival rates for mild, moderate and severe hypertensives were 89.9%, 82.7% and 72.3%, respectively, and the 20-year rates were 60.2%, 37.2% and 25.2%, respectively. The causes of death were also recorded: among hypertensives, stroke accounted for 23.2% of all deaths of known cause, cancer 20.5%, cardiovascular disease 21.7%, respiratory disease 11.8%, and other causes 22.9%. From the results, it is concluded that obvious differences in mortality and cause of death exist between untreated hypertensives and normotensives.