NEW YORK, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- About 41 percent of U.S. adults with hypertension are unaware they have it, according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Left untreated, high blood pressure can increase the risk for heart disease and stroke.

"The prevalence of hypertension increased with age, with a prevalence of 23 percent among those ages 18 to 39. That rose to 53 percent for ages 40 to 59 and 72 percent for those 60 and older. The report also found that, among adults with hypertension, more than half were using medication to lower their blood pressure," said The Washington Post in its report about the finding.

The survey's finding that nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure falls short of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion's Healthy People 2030 target goal to reduce blood pressure to 42 percent of the population or below, the researchers noted.

The NCHS data is drawn from a two-year survey, from August 2021 to August 2023, of the U.S. population. The survey sample "is selected through a complex, multistage design," said the NCHS report. The survey information was collected in stages, including interviews conducted in subjects' homes and a standardized health examination in a mobile exam site. An average of up to three blood pressure readings were taken.