Smokers less likely to receive hypertension advice

Despite being at greater risk for health problems, smokers are less likely than non-smokers to receive advice on controlling their hypertension, according to study findings presented Friday at the American Heart Association's 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference in Chicago.

"We found that healthcare providers were significantly less likely to tell their hypertensive patients who smoke to reduce their salt intake, exercise, and take their high blood pressure medication as compared to hypertensive patients who do not smoke," lead author Alberto Caban-Martinez, from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, told Reuters Health.

"Previous studies have examined the association between lifestyle modification advice and high blood pressure control in the general population. However, few have examined if smokers with hypertension receive the same advice on lifestyle modification," he noted.

The findings stem from an analysis of data from the 2007 Florida Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the Florida Tobacco Callback Survey. The survey featured questions on hypertension control and smoking status, among others.

Among subjects with hypertension, smokers were 11%, 21%, and 26% less likely than non-smokers to receive advice on salt reduction, exercise, and medication usage, respectively. Smoking status, by contrast, did not influence receipt of dietary advice and was directly linked to receipt of advice for alcohol use (OR = 1.44).

Among smokers told to quit smoking, hypertension was predictive of not receiving advice on reducing salt intake (0.60), engaging in exercise (0.61), and changing dietary patterns (OR = 0.61).

"Smoking is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, particularly high blood pressure. Practicing physicians should remain vigilant and sensitive in providing the same hypertension control advice but with greater intensity to their hypertensive smoker patients as they would for their patient populations who do not smoke," Caban-Martinez emphasized.

Source: Reuters Health