High blood pressure exacts a far greater toll on poor people than it does on affluent Americans, a new, national study finds.
The data from the clinical trial, which was designed to treat high blood pressure (hypertension), showed that poor people were half as likely to have their blood pressure controlled over the course of six years. They were also more likely to die, and to die of heart disease during the study period.
“We know racial disparities exist in this country, and other research by our group shows that they are worsening,” said lead researcher Dr. Erica Spatz. She is an associate professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine, in New Haven, Conn.
In a clinical trial with standardized protocols, one would expect the same results across all groups, she
