The nurse presents information to a group of nursing students about cultural and ethnic health disparities related to hypertension.
Which information would the nurse include about the comparison of Mexican Americans to White and Black populations?

Choice A rationale:

Hypertensive crisis is characterized by severely elevated blood pressure, usually above 180/120 mm Hg. The given differences in blood pressure (a decrease of 20 mm Hg in systolic BP) do not indicate hypertensive crisis.

Choice B rationale:

An auscultatory gap refers to a temporary disappearance of sounds normally heard over the brachial artery during blood pressure measurement. This phenomenon can lead to inaccurate readings and might cause a delay in recognizing the true blood pressure values. In this case, the decrease in systolic BP when changing positions indicates the presence of an auscultatory gap, requiring the nurse to be vigilant during blood pressure measurements.

Choice C rationale:

Resistant hypertension is a term used when blood pressure remains above goal despite concurrent use of three antihypertensive agents of different classes. The given scenario does not indicate resistant hypertension but rather suggests a technical issue during blood pressure measurement due to the auscultatory gap.

Choice A rationale:

This statement is incorrect. Mexican Americans do not have higher rates of good blood pressure control compared to other populations.

Choice B rationale:

This statement is incorrect. Mexican Americans are not more likely to receive treatment for hypertension compared to other populations.

Choice C rationale:

This statement is incorrect. While hypertension is prevalent among Mexican Americans, stating they have the highest prevalence of hypertension in the world is inaccurate. The prevalence of hypertension is influenced by various factors and can vary across different regions globally.