1. ¹Oulu City Hospital, Oulu, Finland
2. ²Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
3. ³Department of Internal Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
4. ⁴Department of Health Promotion and Chronic Diseases Prevention, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland
5. ⁵Institute of Health Sciences, Oulu University and Unit of General Practice, Oulu, Finland
6. ⁶Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Finland
7. ⁷Unit of Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Hospital University of La Paz, Madrid, Spain
8. ⁸South Ostrobotnia Central Hospital, Seinäjoki, Finland

Correspondence: Dr RL Antikainen, Oulu City Hospital, Oulun Kaupunki 90015, Finland. E-mail: Riitta.Antikainen@ouka.fi

Received 3 July 2009; Revised 21 September 2009; Accepted 26 September 2009; Published online 5 November 2009.

Abstract

We aimed to assess the trends in the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in Finnish men and women aged 60–74 years. Three independent cross-sectional population surveys were conducted in 1997, 2002 and 2007 in the province of North Karelia and the region of Helsinki–Vantaa. Random samples were selected from the national population register. The total number of participants was 3282. In 2007, the prevalence of hypertension was 79% in men and 78% in women. The mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) (in men, 151 mm Hg in 1997, 148 mm Hg in 2002 and 149 mm Hg in 2007; in women 150, 149 and 149 mm Hg, respectively) and prevalence of hypertension (77% in 1997, 74% in 2002 and 79% in 2007 in men; 75, 75 and 78% in women, respectively) remained stable. The mean diastolic blood pressure (BP) decreased in both genders. Awareness of hypertension increased from 60 to 71% in men (P<0.001 for trend) and from 66 to 76% (P=0.012) in women. The prevalence of antihypertensive drug treatment among hypertensive people increased from 35 to 56% in both genders (P<0.001). The proportion of treated hypertensive patients with adequately controlled BP increased from 16 to 32% in men (P<0.001) and from 16 to 30% in women (P=0.003). Hypertension care in older adults has improved in Finland during 1997 to 2007. The situation is not optimal: the main problem in this age group is high SBP.