The difference between hypertension determined by self-report versus examination in the adult population of the USA: Continuous NHANES 1999–2016

BACKGROUNDStudies have considered the validity of self-reported hypertension relative to hypertension detected by examination; no study has explored trends in the difference between these two measures. Our objective was to calculate these differences overtime within subpopulations of the USA. METHODSWe included non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black and Hispanic adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 1999 to 2016, in the analysis (N = 44 333). We subtracted self-reported hypertension from hypertension detected by examination to calculate blood pressure difference (BPD). We fit weighted linear regression models that included important covariates along with all combination of two- and three-way interactions to predict the BPD. We used the fitted lines of the models to depict the patterns of differences in the different subpopulations. RESULTSAge ≥ 45 years, lack of annual clinical visit, body mass index (BMI)