We’ve been asked by our subscribers to help them find online support groups/forums for their medical conditions. Therefore, from time to time, we’ll review a medical condition, and the online support forums and groups for this specific condition.
We’re starting with hypertension / high blood pressure. The main reason we’re beginning with hypertension is because it is a very common condition yet has relatively few active online communities. Spending time finding and participating in the inactive communities could, potentially, waste significant time.
Methodology
We searched the web during September and October 2014 to find online communities that were available to support patients with high blood pressure or hypertension. Support for the rare disease pulmonary hypertension (affecting 1 in 100,000 to 1 in 1 million people) was excluded from this list.
The communities that were discovered varied greatly in the recency of postings, the activity of those involved and the number of members. Some of this was self-evident or obvious from the home page of the community. In other cases, it was necessary to join the group in order to determine the level of activity. Some of the groups do not provide numbers of participants.
All figures relate to when this post was researched, during September-October 2014. Of course, these figures can change over time.
Hypertension online communities
(excluding Pulmonary Hypertension)
Relatively active online communities
| Website / Community | Size | Vibrancy & Recommendations |
 Heart Blood and Circulatory Forum |
26,000 | There are over 800 posts on hypertension, 186 topics covered.Over 1,200 people say that their primary condition is hypertension.People are responsive and active.There is a significant amount of helpful information within this community. |
 High Blood Pressure |
500 | Signing up is easy. It asks for your age and location. This is so they can provide you with info about other people that you can link up with…perhaps in real life…to get support.People are responsive and active.If the group doesn’t answer your question, a moderator will answer.Joining several groups is easy and a good idea. |
 High Blood Pressure Support |
2,100 | This closed group discusses medications and natural alternatives.It is actively policed to remove posts trying to sell products.People are joining this group on a regular basis to discuss their experiences. |
Relatively inactive online communities
| Website / Community | Size | Vibrancy & Recommendations |
| SupportGroups.com | 1538 | This group is one of several groups on SupportGroups.com.Unfortunately, the questions and comment threads are a few months old.The last discussion post was July 18th.This group’s last response to a post made in April was a pitch for a product. |
| MDJunction | The most recent posting is April 2014. | |
| WebMD Hypertension and High Blood Pressure Exchange | This is a moderated forum.It is not extremely active…only 2 posts in September.The most recent post was someone posting a survey without any real information. Two people in the community told the poster that there was “no way in the world I would click on that link without a lot more information about you.” | |
| The Experience Project | 203 | The most recent discussion is May 2014. The most popular posts occurred in 2012. |
Feedback appreciated!
We invite your comments and any information on groups that we may have missed or experiences that you have had.
Please share what you know to help others with hypertension.
Will there ever be a cure for hypertension?
I need support on buying my medications please am just 33years.