Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of arterial hypertension in an elderly population in Belgium.

Abstract

To study the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of arterial hypertension in the elderly population in Belgium. An age- and sex-stratified sample of 2212 Belgian subjects aged 65 years or more, selected from the original cohort of the Belgian Interuniversity Research on Nutrition and Health (BIRNH) study; participation in this follow-up study was 72.6%. Blood pressure (BP) was measured at home by trained technicians using a standard protocol. Isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) was defined as a systolic BP > or =160 mm Hg and a diastolic BP <95 mm Hg. Diastolic hypertension was defined as a diastolic BP > or =95 mm Hg. The total hypertensive population was defined as all those with ISH, diastolic hypertension and with BPs <160-95 mm Hg but currently taking antihypertensive drugs. Awareness and treatment status were investigated through a structured interview. The prevalence of arterial hypertension was 43.9%, higher in women than in men and increasing with age in women; elevated BP was found in 22.3 to 28.6% of the participants varying by age and sex. In the >75-year-old subjects this elevation was in two-thirds of the cases due to ISH; 84% of all female hypertensives were aware of the condition compared to 68% in men. Treatment advice had been given in a majority of the aware subjects and two-thirds of all treated persons was under control. Among a variety of independent variables and besides the gender difference, awareness was only related to smoking and to depression while control differed by region of residence. Arterial hypertension is highly prevalent in this elderly population; awareness and BP control are within acceptable ranges but there is still room for improvement, particularly in elderly men.