Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of REGARDS study participants not taking antihypertensive medication by blood pressure categories.
| Characteristics | SBP/DBP, mmHg * | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| <130 and <80 | 130–139 or 80–89 | ≥140 or ≥90 | |
| n | 7,637 | 4,199 | 2,203 |
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 62.8 (9.5) | 63.6 (9.5) | 65.7 (9.8) |
| Male, n (%) | 3,257 (42.6) | 2,202 (52.4) | 1,186 (53.8) |
| Black, n (%) | 1,935 (25.3) | 1,481 (35.3) | 945 (42.9) |
| Geographic region of residence, n (%) | |||
| Stroke belt† | 2,618 (34.3) | 1,372 (32.7) | 789 (35.8) |
| Stroke buckle‡ | 1,642 (21.5) | 806 (19.2) | 413 (18.7) |
| Other US regions§ | 3,377 (44.2) | 2,021 (48.1) | 1,001 (45.4) |
| Less than high school education, n (%) | 580 (7.6) | 418 (10.0) | 313 (14.2) |
| Current smoking, n (%) | 1,140 (15.0) | 593 (14.2) | 428 (19.5) |
| SBP, mmHg, mean (SD) | 113.8 (9.4) | 128.0 (7.9) | 148.3 (13.1) |
| DBP, mmHg, mean (SD) | 69.6 (6.5) | 79.8 (5.6) | 85.9 (9.9) |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL, mean (SD) | 195.2 (39.0) | 198.2 (39.2) | 201.1 (41.9) |
| HDL cholesterol, mg/dL, mean (SD) | 54.0 (16.6) | 51.9 (15.8) | 52.3 (17.0) |
| Statin use, n (%) | 1,696 (22.3) | 879 (21.0) | 421 (19.2) |
| History of CVD or 10-year CVD risk ≥10%, n (%) | 3,073 (40.2) | 2,278 (54.3) | 1,611 (73.1) |
| Age ≥65 years with SBP ≥130 mmHg, n (%) | 0 (0.0) | 1,196 (28.5) | 1,147 (52.1) |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 782 (10.6) | 538 (13.0) | 347 (16.4) |
| Chronic kidney disease, n (%) | 800 (10.6) | 590 (14.1) | 495 (22.7) |
| Frailty indicators, n (%) | |||
| Depressive symptoms | 720 (9.5) | 356 (8.5) | 226 (10.3) |
| Low body mass index | 166 (2.2) | 28 (0.7) | 19 (0.9) |
| Cognitive impairment | 357 (5.6) | 244 (7.4) | 151 (8.9) |
| Exhaustion | 763 (10.0) | 406 (9.7) | 234 (10.6) |
| Impaired mobility | 810 (10.6) | 465 (11.1) | 297 (13.5) |
| History of falls | 480 (6.3) | 241 (5.7) | 142 (6.5) |
CVD: cardiovascular disease; DBP: diastolic blood pressure; HDL: high-density lipoprotein; REGARDS: REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke; SBP: systolic blood pressure; SD: standard deviation; US: United States.
Blood pressure categories are mutually exclusive. Participants whose SBP and DBP correspond to two separate categories were assigned to the higher blood pressure group.
Stroke buckle includes coastal North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
Stroke belt includes the remaining parts of the stroke buckle states and Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Arkansas.
Other US regions includes the remaining 40 contiguous US states and the District of Columbia.