Blacks are five times more often hospitalised than whites: Study

Blacks are more prone to get hospitalised than whites, revealed the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

In 2006, the hospitalisation rate for Blacks with hypertension was 161 per 1,00,000 people, which was nearly five times that of Whites (33 admissions per 100,000), according to the study.

Hypertension, which can lead to heart attack, stroke or kidney failure, is defined as blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or higher.

The federal agency also found that in 2006, the admission rate for Hispanics with high blood pressure was 61 per 100,000 people, or nearly twice that of Whites.

Asians and Pacific Islanders had the lowest admission rate for high blood pressure (26 per 1,00,000).

Women were admitted for high blood pressure more often than men (56 versus 40 hospitalisations per 1,00,000).

The poorest Americans were 2.5 times more likely to be admitted for high blood pressure than the wealthiest (83 versus 32 admissions per 1,00,000).