Use and outcomes of antihypertensive medication treatment in the US hypertensive population: A gender comparison

Background: Although effective antihypertensive medications have existed for decades, only about half of the hypertensive individuals are considered to have controlled blood pressure. Limited research studies have investigated gender disparity in the utilization and effectiveness of antihypertensive medications treatment. To examine the gender difference in antihypertensive medications’ use and the effect of using antihypertensive medication treatment on blood pressure control among the U.S. adult with hypertension. Methods: Analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from (1999-2012) including individuals≥18 years old with hypertension. Study variables included gender, age, race/ethnicity, obesity, smoking, comorbidities, treatment medication type, and continuity of care. We used multivariate logistic regression in STATA V14. The data is presented as adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Of the 15719 participants, 52% were female. 49% of the antihypertensive medication users had their blood pressure under control (95% CI). In the adjusted logistic regression analysis, use of antihypertensive medications was found to be 12% greater in females as compared to males (OR=1.12; CI=1.02-1.22; P