Hypertension-related mortality by health service area 1968-72.

● Statistical Note is to report death rates from cardiovascular disease and stroke by health service areas and to provide some Widance to health planners wh~ use these ;ates. This information should be used in conjunction with the ischemic heart disease death rates published in a previous Statistical Note3 and the hypertension mortality algorithm published by the Rand Corporation in 1977.4 . Hypertension, commonly called high blood pressure, is one of the more prevalent chronic conditions in this country. Estimates of the number of Americans with hypertension range from 23 million to 60 million, depending on the criteria used for defining hypertension and the age groups included in the calculation. Although hv~ertension is the cause of a staggering ;mou’;t of death and disability in the United States, it is one of the few chronic conditions for which treatment has been effective. However, despite the efforts of the National High Blood Pressure Education Pro-