Disparities in socioeconomic status and neighborhood characteristics affect all-cause mortality in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension in Korea: a nationwide cohort study, 2002-2013

Abstract

Hypertension is a chronic disease considered to be a major public health challenge [1-3] and is a key risk factor in the development of stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and renal failure [4]. A socioeconomic gradient of risk factors for hypertension has been observed in a variety of settings. Previous studies that examined socioeconomic disparities related to the incidence or prevalence of hypertension have found that individuals with low income [5, 6], lower education [6-9], blue-collar occupation [6, 7], and living in disadvantaged neighborhoods [10, 11] face a higher probability of dying from complications of hypertension.