Hypertension Research

We are seeing a marked increase in the prevalence of hypertension in New Zealand.

One critical area of research is hypertension. Hypertension is thought to affect more than half the adults in the world. It contributes to 49% of all coronary heart disease and 62% of all strokes. Because it is often asymptomatic, it frequently goes undiagnosed or is only diagnosed once it has progressed to a more serious cardiac disease. Even when patients are diagnosed with hypertension, less than 50% have adequate control over their blood pressure. The prevalence of hypertension, problems with delayed diagnosis and a need for more effective treatments mean that hypertension research is a critical area for Manaaki Manawa.

Risk factors for hypertension include family history, obesity, weight gain, lack of exercise, high dietary sodium, alcohol consumption and psychological stress. Although generally asymptomatic, hypertension manifests through damage to target organs, particularly the heart, kidneys and brain, and to peripheral arteries. Treatment aims to reduce the blood pressure through lifestyle and dietary change, medication and, more recently, renal artery denervation.

Research has shown that hypertension disproportionately affects Māori and Pacific populations with 1.3- and 1.4-times higher likelihood respectively of requiring medication to manage HTN. It also disproportionately affects individuals from areas of high deprivation with a 1.4-times higher chance of requiring intervention for HTN. Finding ways to better prevent, diagnose and manage treatment for hypertension is therefore also an equity issue, which is a priority for the Centre.