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Perceived and actual stroke risk among men with hypertension

Benjamin J Powers1, Eugene Z Oddone, Janet M Grubber

  • 1Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, Durham VAMC, Durham, NC 27705, USA. power017@mc.duke.edu

Journal of Clinical Hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.)
|April 11, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Hypertensive patients often inaccurately perceive their stroke risk, with no significant correlation found between perceived and actual risk. This highlights a critical need for improved patient education regarding hypertension-related stroke risks.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Public Health
  • Hypertension Management

Background:

  • Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor for stroke.
  • Accurate perception of stroke risk is crucial for patient adherence to treatment and lifestyle modifications.
  • Previous studies suggest a potential disconnect between patients' perceived and actual cardiovascular risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the correlation between perceived and actual stroke risk in hypertensive patients.
  • To identify patient characteristics linked to inaccurate stroke risk estimation.
  • To inform targeted patient education strategies for hypertension management.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional analysis of 296 male hypertensive patients from the V-STITCH study.
  • Actual stroke risk calculated using the Framingham Stroke Risk (FSR) score.
  • Perceived stroke risk assessed via a 10-point self-reported risk scale.

Main Results:

  • Median 10-year FSR was 16%, while median perceived risk score was 5.
  • No significant correlation was observed between perceived stroke risk and calculated FSR (Spearman rho=-0.08, P=.16).
  • Patients underestimating their risk were less likely to be concerned about blood pressure (12.4% vs 69.6%, P<.0001).

Conclusions:

  • Hypertensive patients demonstrate a significant lack of correlation between their perceived and actual stroke risk.
  • Inaccurate risk perception, particularly underestimation, is associated with lower concern for blood pressure.
  • Enhanced patient education is essential to improve understanding of hypertension-related stroke risks and promote better self-management.

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