CDC: One in four Americans reports high blood pressure

ATLANTA (AP) _ About a quarter of U.S. adults say they have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, the government reported Thursday. <br><br>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 24.9 percent

Thursday, May 30th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

ATLANTA (AP) _ About a quarter of U.S. adults say they have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, the government reported Thursday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 24.9 percent of adults in a 1999 survey reported they had ever been told by a doctor they have high blood pressure. The figure was up from 22.9 percent in 1991.

The CDC said the increase may reflect higher levels of obesity. But it could also mean more doctors are making their patients aware of high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

The study showed an encouragingly high proportion of adults _ 94.5 percent _ said they had had their blood pressure checked in the previous two years.