Blacks five times more likely to develop hypertension than Whites

According to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the hospital admission rate for Blacks with hypertension was 161 per 100,000 people in 2006 - nearly 5 times the hospitalization rate for Whites (33 admissions per 100,000),

Hypertension , which can significantly increase a person’s risk of heart attack, stroke or kidney failure, is defined as blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or higher. There are a quarter of a million hospitalizations each year for hypertension with complications.