Blacks five times more prone to hypertension than Whites

The hospital admission rate for Blacks with hypertension was 161 per 100,000 people in 2006 - nearly 5 times the hospitalization rate for Whites (33 admissions per 100,000), according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Hypertension , which can significantly increase a person's risk of heart attack, stroke or kidney failure, is defined as blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or higher. There are a quarter of a million hospitalizations each year for hypertension with complications.

The federal agency also found that in 2006 :

· The admission rate for Hispanics with high blood pressure was 61 per 100,000 people, or nearly twice that of Whites.

· Asians and Pacific Islanders had the lowest admission rate for high blood pressure (26 per 100,000).

· Women were admitted for high blood pressure more often than men (56 versus 40 hospitalizations per 100,000).

· The poorest Americans were 2.5 times more likely to be admitted for high blood pressure than the wealthiest (83 versus 32 admissions per 100,000).

This AHRQ News and Numbers is based on information in "Admissions for Hypertension," Table 17_2_1.1a appendix to the 2009 National Healthcare Disparities Report (http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/qrdr09.htm), which examines the disparities in Americans' access to and quality of health care, with breakdowns by race, ethnicity, income, and education.