Charlotte Included in Analysis of Top Hypertension Hot Spots in the United States

DEERFIELD, Ill., Sept. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A national analysis conducted by Sperling's BestPlaces and sponsored by Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., identified Charlotte, N.C., as one of the nation's Hypertension Hot Spots, or cities that have hypertension risk factors and complications. The identification of the Hypertension Hot Spots is part of a larger Takeda-sponsored hypertension awareness program called Commit to Control, which educates Americans about hypertension and also challenges patients to do all they can to get their blood pressure under control.

Charlotte ranked 23rd on the list of 50 U.S. metropolitan areas that have hypertension risk factors and complications. Furthermore, in 2009, nearly one-third of people in the state of North Carolina had been informed they have high blood pressure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The large-scale Hot Spots analysis, which combined the findings of original research and existing, related research in the field of the study, analyzed data about numerous hypertension risk factors, including lack of exercise – Charlotte ranked 11th highest nationwide – and diagnoses of high cholesterol; Charlotte ranked 15th highest nationwide.

"Hypertension can lead to a higher risk of serious health consequences like heart attack and stroke if left uncontrolled," said Christopher Kontos, M.D., a cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center. "The Hot Spots ranking reiterates hypertension's high prevalence in Charlotte and reinforces the importance of patients working with their doctors to lower their blood pressure and reduce their risk for complications."  

The Commit to Control exhibit will visit the Charlotte Southern Women's Show on Sept. 15-18. To motivate residents to control their high blood pressure, the exhibit will offer free blood pressure screenings and the opportunity to see the effects hypertension can have on the body through an animated 3-D simulation. The tour schedule and additional resources on how patients can take steps toward managing their hypertension are available on www.CommitToControl.com. Site visitors can also see a full list of the 50 Hypertension Hot Spots and make an online pledge to talk to their doctors about controlling hypertension. For each pledge made online, Takeda will donate $5, up to $10,000, to Mended Hearts, a community-based, nationwide heart patient support network.

About Hypertension

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure is elevated. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood. Blood pressure numbers include systolic and diastolic pressures. Systolic pressure is the pressure exerted while the heart is beating. Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart is at rest. In blood pressure measurements, the systolic number appears above or before the diastolic number. Hypertension is defined as elevated blood pressure about 140 mm Hg or greater systolic or 90 mm Hg or greater diastolic. High blood pressure typically has no symptoms. In fact, of Americans who have hypertension, an estimated 20 percent are still unaware they have it. If left uncontrolled, hypertension can lead to serious health problems, including heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and congestive heart failure. Having high blood pressure can also shorten life expectancy by about five years, unless appropriately treated.

About the Hypertension Hot Spots Analysis

The analysis was conducted by Sperling's BestPlaces during the month of April 2011 for Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc. The goal of the study was to find the metropolitan areas in the United States that have hypertension risk factors and complications. To find these places in the United States, a large-scale analysis, which combined the findings of original research and existing, related research in the field of the study, was performed. The study compiled and analyzed data for the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. To determine these Hypertension Hot Spots, Sperling's BestPlaces analyzed data about the following factors: self-reported diagnoses of hypertension, self-reported diagnoses of high cholesterol, self-reported diagnoses of cardiovascular disease, doctor diagnoses of hypertension (per capita), prescriptions of hypertension-control medication (per capita), mortality relating to hypertension, average Body Mass Index (BMI), obesity rate, smoking incidence and lack of exercise. The data came from the following sources: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, The CDC Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database, The Gallup/Healthways Well-Being poll and ESRI data derived from the Doublebase Consumer Survey performed by Mediamark Research Inc. The analysis weighed the study's categories by assigning each a magnitude of importance based upon the focus of the study; some categories offered more insight into the prevalence of hypertension. All data was adjusted by the current population to arrive at "per capita" figures to provide an accurate comparison between cities of varying sizes.

About Bert Sperling

For more than twenty years, Bert Sperling has been helping people find their own Best Places to live, work, play and retire. As the foremost creator of these studies, his work appears in the national media nearly every month. Annually, his "Healthiest Cities for Women" study is featured in SELF magazine. Other health-related projects include "Migraine Hot Spots," "Asthma Hot Spots," "Best Cities for Sleep," "America's Healthiest Cities," "Best and Worst Cities for Skin Care" and "Most Visually Inspiring Places in America." Sperling's information is available on the website, www.bestplaces.net.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., and Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Inc.

Based in Deerfield, Ill., Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., and Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Inc. are subsidiaries of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan. The respective companies currently market oral diabetes, insomnia, rheumatology, gastroenterology, and cardiovascular treatments and seek to bring innovative products to patients through a pipeline that includes compounds in development for metabolic and cardiovascular disease, gastroenterology, neurology and other conditions. To learn more about these Takeda companies, visit www.tpna.com.

Elissa J. Johnsen
Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America
224-554-3185
[email protected]

Rebekah Sinzheimer
GolinHarris
312-729-4239
[email protected]

SOURCE Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.

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