Modifiable and Non-Modifiable Features of Hypertension Assignment Sample

Incidence and Prevalence

Hypertension is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Australia. The Australian Bureau of statistics determined that in the period the disease affected one out of every ten Australians. This translates to a grim figure of 2.6 million individuals or just over 10% of the population. The fact that it still is a leading cause of illness in the country is underlined by the steady growth in prevalence over the past decade from 9.4% in 2008. Hypertension does not show any significant difference between its prevalence in females and males, with 10.7% and 10.55 affected respectively. However, the prevalence in men has been on the decline since 2014 where it stood at 12% while the prevalence in females has remained largely the same over the same period. Further, hypertension cases increase with age. the Australian population has been aging over the last two decades. The number of individuals affected between the ages of 45-54 years is three times that of individuals between 35-44 years. At 75 years and above, the prevalence stood at 41.5%. This is an indicator of the significance of age. Compounding this problem is the fact that just over 1 in 5 Australians had their blood pressure readings taken in the period under review, which is the 2017-2018 window (ABS, 2018).

Modifiable and Non-Modifiable Factors

The multifactorial causal relationships responsible for the development of hypertension mean that there are modifiable and non-modifiable factors at play. The modifiable factors are those that can be addressed by lifestyle changes. These include unhealthy diets, smoking and drinking habits, high levels of sedentary lifestyles, and unhealthy weight levels. These are culprits for poor cardiovascular health that leads to increased cholesterol levels and accumulation of plaque in blood vessels compounding or causing high blood pressure. These factors are the usual targets for behavioral and medical intervention as part of the regimen for hypertension management (Van Der Sande et al., 2019).

The non-modifiable factors cannot be addressed in therapy and are risk factors for the development and progression of hypertension. They include age, ethnicity, and a family history of hypertension. A family history of hypertension is a major risk factor for developing the disease. Additionally, in Australia in particular, the issue of ethnicity is a compounding factor given that there are higher reported levels of the disease and its related complications in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This has been linked to factors such as diet, access to primary care and prevention, and the low levels of physical activity as lifestyle changes are ingrained within this vulnerable population (Govindarajan, Ravichandran, Sundararajan, & Sreeja, 2017; Helms et al., 2020).

Hypertension Grading in Australia

The National Blood pressure and Vascular Disease Advisory Committee reviewed international standards and identify areas that required change. First, comprehensive BP assessments should include measurements taken on separate occasions. These measurements can then be used to place patients in diagnostic categories. Patients categorized as ‘optimal’ when their BPs are lower than 120/80. They are categorized as ‘normal’ with BPs of 120-129/80-84 mmHg. They are graded as high-normal with BPs of 130-139/85-89 mmHg. Patients are categorized as mild hypertensive or ‘grade 1’ with BPs of 140-159/90-99 mmHg. Moderate hypertension or ‘grade 2’ is determined at BPs between 160-179/100-109 mmHg. Severe hypertension or ‘grade 3’ is indicated by BPs of over 180/110 mmHg. Finally, isolated systolic hypertension is determined at over 140/90 mmHg (Gabb et al., 2016).

Case Study Education Plan and Allied Healthcare Teams

References

ABS. (2018). Hypertension and measured high blood pressure. Retrieved from https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/4364.0.55.001~2017-18~Main%20Features~Hypertension%20and%20measured%20high%20blood%20pressure~60

Börjesson, M., Onerup, A., Lundqvist, S., & Dahlöf, B. (2016). Physical activity and exercise lower blood pressure in individuals with hypertension: narrative review of 27 RCTs. Br J Sports Med, 50(6), 356-361.

Gabb, G. M., Mangoni, A. A., Anderson, C. S., Cowley, D., Dowden, J. S., Golledge, J., ... & Schlaich, M. (2016). Guideline for the diagnosis and management of hypertension in adults—2016. Medical Journal of Australia, 205(2), 85-89.

Govindarajan, P., Ravichandran, K. S., Sundararajan, S., & Sreeja, S. (2017, May). Impact of modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors on the prediction of stroke disease. In 2017 International Conference on Trends in Electronics and Informatics (ICEI) (pp. 985-989). IEEE.

Helms, A., Gilhotra, R., Preston, S., Saireddy, R., Starmer, G., & Sutcliffe, S. (2020). P188 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Australians have significantly worse coronary disease, risk factors, and 4-year outcomes compared with non-indigenous Australians. European Heart Journal, 41(Supplement_1), ehz872-065.

Masana, L., Ros, E., Sudano, I., Angoulvant, D., Gerediaga, D. I., Eizagaechevarria, N. M., ... & Weingärtner, O. (2017). Is there a role for lifestyle changes in cardiovascular prevention? What, when and how?. Atherosclerosis Supplements, 26, 2-15.

Roldan, P. C., Ho, G. Y., & Ho, P. M. (2018). Updates to adherence to hypertension medications. Current hypertension reports, 20(4), 34.

Spears, C. A., Hedeker, D., Li, L., Wu, C., Anderson, N. K., Houchins, S. C., ... & Waters, A. J. (2017). Mechanisms underlying mindfulness-based addiction treatment versus cognitive-behavioral therapy and usual care for smoking cessation. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 85(11), 1029.

Siang, T. C., Hassali, M. A. A., & Fen, N. C. (2019). The Role of Pharmacist in Managing Hypertension in the Community: Findings from a Community Based Study. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, 53(3), 553-561.

Tsukikawa, M., & Stacey, A. W. (2020). A Review of Hypertensive Retinopathy and Chorioretinopathy. Clinical Optometry, 12, 67.

Van Der Sande, N. G., Blankestijn, P. J., Visseren, F. L., Beeftink, M. M., Voskuil, M., Westerink, J., ... & Spiering, W. (2019). Prevalence of potential modifiable factors of hypertension in patients with difficult-to-control hypertension. Journal of hypertension, 37(2), 398-405.

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