New York, NY (March 18, 2002) - Despite having a potentially life-threatening condition, a large proportion of patients with hypertension (high blood pressure) are unaware of the full importance of systolic blood pressure (the upper number in a blood pressure reading) in the control and prevention of disease, according to a study presented today at the 51st Annual Scientific Sessions of the American College of Cardiology in Atlanta.

"Improved recognition of the importance of systolic blood pressure has been identified as a major public health challenge," said primary investigator Susan A. Oliveria, Sc.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor of Public Health at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Assistant Attending Epidemiologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. "Yet this survey indicates that many patients lack the basic knowledge about the importance of systolic blood pressure that would help them achieve better blood pressure control and reduce the potential for more serious conditions."

Blood pressure measures the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries and is expressed as systolic pressure (when the heart beats) over diastolic pressure (when the heart relaxes between heartbeats). A diagnosis of hypertension is made when the systolic blood pressure is 140 mm Hg or higher and/or the diastolic blood pressure is 90 mm Hg or higher. Uncontrolled blood pressure is a factor in organ damage, and elevated systolic blood pressure is an independent risk factor associated with a variety of serious illnesses, including heart failure, stroke, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease.

In the study, which was based on telephone surveys of 683 patients in the Detroit area, 90% of the patients questioned were aware that they had been diagnosed with high blood pressure. However, 40% of these patients were not aware of their blood pressure measurement. Less than one-third of patients were able to correctly identify systolic and diastolic as the respective "top" and "bottom" numbers of blood pressure readings, and, when asked to identify whether systolic or diastolic blood pressure was more important in the control and prevention of disease, 43 percent of patients identified diastolic as being more important, while only 14 percent identified systolic. (Twenty-eight percent of patients reported that both were equally important, and 14% did not venture a guess as to which was more significant.)

Current guidelines for the treatment of hypertension recommend lowering blood pressure to below 140/90 mm Hg for patients with uncomplicated hypertension, and to a still lower level for those with target organ damage or cardiovascular disease. Treatment guidelines also recommend a change in, or the addition of, antihypertensive drug therapy if blood pressure remains uncontrolled.

"This study shows that there exists a need to educate patients about the risks of elevated systolic blood pressure so that they can have a more informed and active role in the management of their disease," said Dr. Oliveria.