The fraction of patients meeting our definition of hypertension increases with age from 7-8% for ages 20-29, 17-21% for ages 30-39, 35-39% for ages 40-49, 55-62% for ages 50-59, 67-74% for ages 60-69 and 73-81% for ages 70+.
Chart Explanation: The percentage of patients with hypertension by year is displayed. The percentage of patients with hypertension increased with increasing age.
The Veteran’s Affairs (VA) data presented are from a national sample of health care visits to the VA Health System by eligible U. S. veterans. During any given year, ~ 70% of the outpatient population receives a serum creatinine test. While the demographics of VA Health System users are distinct from the general U.S. population, the VA data allow a ‘snapshot’ of clinical practices across the nation.
National VA data were examined. Within each VISN (Veterans Integrated Service Network), a 5% random sample of patients was extracted from the national VA data repository each fiscal year (FY) from FY2005 to FY2009. Starting in FY2010 and continuing in future years, analyses were performed on the entire patient population (100% sample).
This material is the result of work supported with resources and the use of facilities at the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
| Field | Data |
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| Description of Measure | Hypertension as a risk factor for CKD |
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| Data Source | VA |
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| Type of Data Source | Administrative |
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| Data Set | VA National 5% Sample (FY05-FY09) and 100% (FY10-present) |
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| Health Care System Data | Yes |
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| Regional or National? | National |
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| Demographic Group | Patients in VA health system |
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| Numerator | Patients in denominator with diagnosis of hypertension or who are on medication for blood pressure control. |
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| Denominator | Patients >20 years old and who had at least 1 outpatient visit in the fiscal year. |
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| Definition of hypertension | Hypertension status determined by ICD-9-CM code (401, 402, 403, 404, 405 ) and/or prescribed antihypertensive medication (outpatient only). |
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| Primary Data Source Indicator | ICD-9-CM code for hypertension |
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| Primary Indicator Method of Measurement | Medical record |
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| Secondary (1) Variable | Age = (Date of Visit - Date of Birth)/365.25 |
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| Secondary (1) Indicator Method of Measurement | Outpatient Visit |
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| Frequency of Measurement (Primary) | Multiple measurements per patient |
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| U.S. Region Covered by Primary Variable | All |
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| Period Currently Available | 2005–2012 |
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| Limitations of Indicator | Prevalence estimation limited by health care system testing and patient utilization of health care resources. |
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| Analytical Considerations | Coding of medications in the VA system changed in 2009, differences in prevalence calculations may not be due to true changes in underlying population. |
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