Symptomology of Elevated Blood Pressure in Black Women with Hypertension

Understanding factors that influence hypertension self-management may improve blood pressure control in Black women; however, little is known about Black women’s perceptions of symptoms associated with hypertension. In this study, using the revised version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R), we examined Black women’s perceptions of symptoms that they associate with hypertension. While over half (52.5%) reported no symptoms of high blood pressure, 41.3% of the women reported one to six symptoms they attributed to high blood pressure. This study has the potential to increase clinicians’ understanding of patients’ perceptions of the symptomology of hypertension.