LAUSR

Hypertension, a major contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD) including heart disease and stroke, is one of the leading contributors of global burden of disease and a growing public health problem worldwide.1 In the U.S., about 75.2 million adults (one in every three) had hypertension during 2013–2014.2 In 2014, hypertension was listed as a primary or contributing cause of 427,631 American deaths, and heart disease and stroke were the firstand fifth-leading causes of death respectively.3 Economically, hypertension cost the nation about $51.2 billion per year, and total CVD cost the nation about $316.1 billion per year during 2012–2013.4 Reducing the health and economic burden of hypertension and CVD is a public health priority.