Background: Hypertension is an acute public health problem both in developed and in developing countries, like India. It remains silent, being generally asymptomatic during its clinical course. As it is hidden beneath an outwardly asymptomatic appearance, the disease does immense harm to the body in the form of 'Target Organ' damage; hence, the WHO has named it the 'Silent Killer'1. Job related psychosocial stress and sedentary life styles may directly and indirectly contribute to development of hypertension2. With urbanization, the problem of hypertension is growing rapidly to epidemic levels in the developing countries. This invisible epidemic is an underappreciated cause of poverty and hinders the economic development of many countries3. Assessing the association of risk factors with Hypertension in the community is equivalent to assessing the submerged portion of the iceberg which is so much more obscure.
Objective: To carry out an Observational study amongst civil population of Bhopal to successfully determine the risk factors associated with Hypertension.
Materials and Methods: 375 randomly selected individuals were subjected to check of blood pressure with two readings being taken by two different examiners at an interval of 15 minutes. Subsequently 157 individuals found Hypertensive were further screened for risk factors for Hypertension by measuring height, weight, BMI, serum total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, serum HDL, random blood sugar levels, physical activity, smoking status & alcohol consumption.
Results: Out of 375 individuals screened, 157 individuals were found to be having high blood pressure. About 15.4% were found to be obese with BMI > 23Kg/m2, 22% had hypercholesterolemia, 5.4% had IGT (Impaired Glucose Tolerance), 19.2% were current smokers and 3.4% were alcohol consumers. Higher age, BMI (Body Mass Index), high serum triglycerides, low serum HDL, IGT (Impaired Glucose Tolerance) and lack of exercising were found to be independently associated with Hypertension in multiple logistic regression analysis.
Conclusion: Our findings recommend the constant monitoring of risk factors for Hypertension and the formulation of effective preventive strategies for adequate control of its alarming incidence.
Keywords: Hypertension, Impaired Glucose Tolerance, Body Mass Index, High Density Lipoprotein, Coronary Heart Disease.
Relationship of epidemiologic features and risk factors in impaired glucose tolerance and gestational diabetes mellitus
