“We found that less than half of patients who knew they had high blood pressure had gotten their numbers to where we’d want them to be,” Testai said.
Meanwhile, only one-third of those with known high cholesterol had gotten those numbers down, the findings showed. And of patients who were aware they had diabetes, just over half had the condition under good control.
The precise reasons are unclear. But many patients were not on standard medications: Around half were on clot-preventing drugs; even fewer were on cholesterol-lowering statins.
Testai pointed to some broad patterns the study turned up.
The older patients were, for example, the less likely they were to have their high blood pressure or diabetes under control. That might point to problems with adhering to medication or lifestyle advice, Testai speculated, or possibly to lower-quality health care compared to younger patients.
In addition, patients who’d lived in the United States longer tended to have poorer diabetes control.
One potential explanation is that those patients had more exposure to the typical U.S. diet, and its abundance of calories from processed foods, Testai said.
Dr. José Biller, a professor of neurology at Loyola University Chicago, agreed.
“Dietary changes are often attributed to acculturation, and food is often used as a metaphor for citizenship,” said Biller, who is also a volunteer expert with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. “We are what we eat. Everyone benefits from reduced salt consumption, staying active and maintaining healthy lifestyles.”
Biller also said patients may face “critical” obstacles that make it difficult to stick with medications, ranging from cost to co-existing medical conditions to their own beliefs about the drugs.
