Table I.
Characteristics of 189 Patients with Hypertension From 6 VA Clinics in Iowa and Minnesota
| Age, mean ± SD | 65.8±11.0 |
| Men, % | 96.8 |
| Race, % | |
| White | 92.0 |
| Black | 6.4 |
| Hispanic | 0.5 |
| Other | 1.1 |
| Education | |
| High school graduate or less, % | 45.7 |
| Some college or college graduate, % | 54.3 |
| Mean systolic BP prior year ± SD | 140±22.5 |
| Mean diastolic BP prior year ± SD | 76±10.5 |
| Mean BP recordings in prior year ± SD, No. | 4.0±2.3 |
| At BP goal, % | 50.8 |
| On JNC 7 guideline‐concordant therapy, % | 58.2 |
| Both at BP goal and on JNC 7 guideline‐concordant therapy | 31.2 |
| Top 10 Comorbid Illnesses, % | |
| Hyperlipidemia | 55.0 |
| Diabetes | 36.0 |
| Coronary artery disease | 25.4 |
| Benign prostatic hypertrophy | 19.0 |
| Depression | 16.9 |
| COPD/asthma | 15.9 |
| Renal insufficiency | 13.8 |
| Smoking | 12.7 |
| Sleep apnea | 9.0 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 7.4 |
| Abbreviations: VA, Veterans Administration; BP, blood pressure; JNC 7, Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. | |