Abstract
This epidemiological study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of undetected hypertension in an apparently healthy western Indian population having no history of major illness. 3629 individuals of ≥18 years of age were included in the study. Hypertension (HTN) was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 90 mmHg and prehypertension (PHTN) as SBP ≥ 120–139 mmHg or DBP ≥ 80–89 mmHg, but without HTN. The prevalence of undiagnosed HTN in the total population was 26% and was 11% and 40% in the young (≤40-year) and old (>40-year) populations, respectively. The prevalence of PHTN, 40% in the overall population, was nearly the same in the young (39%) and the old population (42%). The risk factor most strongly associated with PHTN and HTN was obesity, showing the highest odds ratio in the overall (PHTN 2.14; 95% CI 1.20–3.81; HTN 2.72; 95% CI 1.53–4.85), the young (PHTN 2.29; 95% CI 1.25–4.21; HTN 2.92; 95% CI 1.59–5.35), and the old (PHTN 1.13; 95% CI 0.65–1.96; HTN 1.38; 95% CI 0.79–2.4) populations. Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases which must not be ignored, especially in the western Indian population.
Highlights
Hypertension (HTN), being a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), is an important issue of medical and public health
The western Indian population is more susceptible to CVDs, being affected at a younger age (≤40 years of age), with risk factors possibly starting to show up at an early age period [1]
The risk factors associated with the PHTN and HTN were analyzed in the study population
Summary
Hypertension (HTN), being a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), is an important issue of medical and public health. It is the most common condition seen in primary care which leads to myocardial infarction, stroke, renal failure, and death if not detected early and treated appropriately. Some observational studies (a few with a study size of more than 1 million) indicate that death from ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke increases progressively and linearly from a blood pressure (BP) level as low as 115 mmHg of systolic BP (SBP) and 75 mmHg of diastolic BP (DBP). For every 20 mmHg SBP or 10 mmHg DBP increase, the rate of mortality doubles, mainly affecting individuals of the 40–89year age group [3, 4]. Hypertension is reported to be the fourth contributor to premature death in developed countries and the seventh in developing countries [6]
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