The Implications of New Blood Pressure Guidelines on Hypertension Prevalence in Former NFL Players

• DOI: 10.1249/01.mss.0000561357.86551.3a
• Publication Date: 2019-06-25T21:49:01Z
• Authors: Garrett H. Williams; Genevieve E. Smith; Mark M. Cassidy; Gregory W. Stewart
• Keywords: Prehypertension

PURPOSE: Examine potential implications of the new 2017 ACC/AHA hypertension (HTN) guidelines on prevalence HTN in a population former professional football players. METHODS: Blood pressure (BP), height, weight, and waist circumference were collected from players (n = 1240) between April 2015 August 2018 during cardiovascular screening events held throughout U.S. Demographic information was collected, including age, race, career playing position, previous diagnosis. status assessed via 2010 JNC (2010) (2017) guidelines. Means analyzed using one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, Chi square, where appropriate. RESULTS: The overall hypertensive BP observed this cohort 38.5% 70.5% (2017; p < 0.0001). While all subjects previously identified as having stage 1 by re-categorized 2 under guidelines, 72.8% prehypertensive HTN. There an increase (p 0.0001) versus criteria groups when data stratified position. 83.4% undiagnosed (48.6%) (26.5%; Correlation body mass index with revealed significant association both (r 0.2036) 0.1547). Conversely, 0.1825; better than that 0.0422; 0.1379), but only correlation found to be significant. CONCLUSIONS: Changes for categorization are expected substantially diagnosis players, almost doubled current study. Given have HTN, it is also likely number men prescribed antihypertensive medications will substantially.