Only half of UK patients on medication have blood pressure under control, study finds

Researchers from Oxford University examined 1.4 million participants in the Our Future Health cohort and found that more than one-third of adults in England have hypertension, yet 59 % do not know they are affected. The study, published in BMJ Public Health, revealed that only half of patients receiving GP-prescribed blood-pressure medication achieve control, defined as below 140/90 mmHg. Men are almost 50 % more likely than women to have the condition, and prevalence rises with age, including a concerning 15.3 % rate in those under 40 who are ineligible for NHS Health Checks.

Authors attribute the shortfall to NICE recommendations that require repeated measurements and lifestyle advice before treatment, creating a “leaky cascade of care” in an already strained primary-care system. Experts from the British Heart Foundation and the Stroke Association highlighted the public-health risk, noting hypertension’s role in half of UK strokes. They urged a shift toward earlier detection, risk-based treatment decisions, and broader access to home or ambulatory monitoring.