High blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressure rises above the standard values (systolic-128 and diastolic-85mmHg) and is the major cause for other conditions such as stroke and coronary heart diseases. The condition affects largely older people of the age 65 years and above. With the rising population, it is predicted to be 20% of the world population by 2020 (Wu, Hu, Chou, Huang, Chou & Li, 2015).
National and State Trends for Chronic Disease
According to a CDC statistics conducted released on August 10, 2012, high blood pressure record the highest widespread having a percentage of 57%, followed by Alzheimer and other dementias at 42% (CDC, 2012) (the statistics are displayed in figure 1 below). Therefore, high blood pressure is a prevalent condition that should receive government attention. With the increasing population of older people due to improving living standards, infrastructures should be established to manage the present state and prepare for future developments.
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The Financial Impact of Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is one of the complex conditions given its ability to cause other secondary conditions. The conditions resulting from high blood pressure costs more than the basic expenditure on its management (Wang, Grosse & Schooley, 2017). Figure 2 demonstrates the disparity in the management of the disorder and the other secondary conditions.
Under hypertension treatment expenditures, it can be noted that there is no expenditure on home health care. While comparing hospital expenditures for both bars, the expenditure in hospital service for treating other conditions resulting from hypertension costs 53% which is very high as compared to that of treating hypertension (56%-3%=53%). This range is not even matched by the other medical expenditures under hypertension treatment expenditures. Thus, more expenditure goes on related conditions than on Hypertension itself.
Policy Changes Required to Improve Health Outcomes for Patients with Chronic Disease
From the above observation, there is a need for establishing home health care services for patients suffering from hypertension. Thorough management of hypertension would minimize expenditure on the other symptoms. Moreover, the cost of hospital treatment, since many people seek hospital management, should be subsidized to enable more people suffering from this condition access medication. Finally, education programs, facilities, and personnel should be empowered to educate the mass on conditions emanating from high blood pressure to report to medical centers for checkups once they note them (Zhang, Wang & Joo, 2017).
References
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2012). Ten Most Common Chronic Conditions* Among Persons Living in Residential Care Facilities — National Survey of Residential Care Facilities, United States, 2010 . Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6131a6.htm
Wang, G., Grosse, S. D., & Schooley, M. W. (2017). Conducting research on the economics of hypertension to improve cardiovascular health. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53 (6), S115-S117.
Wu, C. Y., Hu, H. Y., Chou, Y. J., Huang, N., Chou, Y. C., & Li, C. P. (2015). High blood pressure and all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortalities in community-dwelling older adults. Medicine, 94 (47).
Zhang, D., Wang, G., & Joo, H. (2017). A systematic review of economic evidence on community hypertension interventions. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53 (6), S121-S130.
