Trends in Blood Pressure Control During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of 17 US Health Systems in the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network Blood Pressure Control Laboratory

Alanna M Chamberlain; Rhonda M Cooper-DeHoff; Valy Fontil; Soo Park; Kathryn M Shaw; Myra Smith; Thomas Carton; Emily C O'Brien; Madelaine Faulkner Modrow; Gregory Wozniak; Michael Rakotz; Steven M Smith; Michael D Kappelman; Daniel E Ford; David A Williams; Carol Reynolds Geary; Cara Litvin; Jeffrey J VanWormer; Abu Saleh Mohammad Mosa; Lindsay G Cowell; Bradley W Taylor; Elizabeth A Chrischilles; Mark J Pletcher

doi:10.1161/JAHA.125.045694

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Trends in Blood Pressure Control During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of 17 US Health Systems in the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network Blood Pressure Control Laboratory

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Trends in Blood Pressure Control During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of 17 US Health Systems in the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network Blood Pressure Control Laboratory

Alanna M Chamberlain, Rhonda M Cooper-DeHoff, Valy Fontil, Soo Park, Kathryn M Shaw, Myra Smith, Thomas Carton, Emily C O'Brien, Madelaine Faulkner Modrow, Gregory Wozniak, …

Journal of the American Heart Association, Vol.15(8), e045694

04/21/2026

DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.125.045694

PMID: 41944158

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Abstract

Reductions in blood pressure (BP) control among patients with hypertension were observed early in the COVID-19 pandemic. The degree to which BP control may have returned to prepandemic levels is unknown. Individuals aged 18 to 85 years with hypertension from 17 health systems participating in the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network were identified using electronic health record data collected as part of routine care. BP control (percentage of patients whose most recent BP measurement was <140/<90 mm Hg) was estimated in a series of 12-month rolling measurement periods from 2017 through 2022 (January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017; April 1, 2017 through March 31, 2018; … January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022). Differences in average BP control between 2022 (January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022) and 2019 (January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019) were estimated overall (adjusted for age, sex, and race and ethnicity) and by race and ethnicity (adjusted for age and sex). Our sample included 1 193 314 persons with hypertension in 2019 (48.9% aged 65-85 years, 52.9% men, 66.2% non-Hispanic White) and 1 499 418 individuals in 2022 (50.6% aged 65-85 years, 47.1% men, 62.7% non-Hispanic White). The weighted average BP control dropped from 65.3% in 2019 to 61.8% in 2020 and then partially recovered to 62.6% in 2022 (adjusted mean difference, -2.6 percentage points [95% CI, -5.0 to -0.2]). Non-Hispanic Asian individuals experienced the largest temporal drop in BP control, declining from 68.4% in 2019 to 63.9% in 2022. BP control was disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic and had not fully rebounded to prepandemic levels by the end of 2022. Continued surveillance is needed to determine whether the decline in BP control will persist and will result in future adverse cardiovascular events.

Electronic Health Records

Hypertension

blood pressure

surveillance

COVID‐19

Details

Title: Subtitle: Trends in Blood Pressure Control During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of 17 US Health Systems in the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network Blood Pressure Control Laboratory
Creators: Alanna M Chamberlain - Mayo Clinic
Rhonda M Cooper-DeHoff - University of Florida
Valy Fontil - New York University
Soo Park - University of California, San Francisco
Kathryn M Shaw - University of Florida
Myra Smith - University of Florida
Thomas Carton - Louisiana Public Health Institute
Emily C O'Brien - Duke University
Madelaine Faulkner Modrow - University of California, San Francisco
Gregory Wozniak - American Medical Association
Michael Rakotz - American Medical Association
Steven M Smith - University of Florida
Michael D Kappelman - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Daniel E Ford - Johns Hopkins University
David A Williams - University of Michigan
Carol Reynolds Geary - University of Nebraska Medical Center
Cara Litvin - Medical University of South Carolina
Jeffrey J VanWormer - Marshfield Clinic
Abu Saleh Mohammad Mosa - University of Missouri
Lindsay G Cowell - The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Bradley W Taylor - Medical College of Wisconsin
Elizabeth A Chrischilles - University of Iowa
Mark J Pletcher - University of California, San Francisco
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of the American Heart Association, Vol.15(8), e045694
DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.125.045694
PMID: 41944158
NLM abbreviation: J Am Heart Assoc
ISSN: 2047-9980
eISSN: 2047-9980
Publisher: American Heart Association; HOBOKEN
Grant note: American Heart Association American Medical Association Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute: PaCR-2017C2-8153
The authors acknowledge the engagement, input, moral support, and other contributions of our patient advisory board (C. Maeztu, K. Sigona, G. Merritt, and D. Holmes). The authors thank Donna Adams for her assistance in formatting the manuscript.
Language: English
Electronic publication date: 04/07/2026
Date published: 04/21/2026
Academic Unit: Pharmacy; Epidemiology
Record Identifier: 9985152087302771

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