The prevalence of hypertension in population of Keshan disease endemic areas in China, 2009

Objective To survey the prevalence of hypertension in population of Keshan disease endemic areas, in order to provide a scientific basis for prevention and control of hypertension in rural areas of our country. Methods One hundred and twenty villages were selected as the survey places based on case-finding from 15 provinces including Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Hubei, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Chongqing and Mongolia in 2009. The subjects were permanent residents in the survey places. Basic situation of all subjects was collected through the questionnaire survey and blood pressure was measured by a clinician. Diagnostic criterion for hypertension was based on the "Chinese Guidelines for the Management of Hypertension". Results Totally 33 558 subjects aged 18 and over were surveyed, including 8 699 hypertension patients. The positive rate of hypertension was 25.9% (8 699/33 558), among that 26.3% (3 532/13 408) were males, and 25.6% (5 167/20 150) were females. The positive rate of hypertension increased with age (χ2 = 3 348.325,P < 0.05). In the classification of hypertension, the proportion of stage 1, 2 and 3 hypertension and isolated systolic hypertension was 31.8% (2 770/8 699), 26.1% (2 273/8 699), 17.2% (1 492/8 699) and 24.9% (2 164/8 699), respectively. Conclusions The positive rates of hypertension in Keshan disease endemic areas are higher than those of the national average (18.8%). Hypertension is a serious public health problem in Keshan disease endemic areas. The strategy of hypertension prevention and control should be formulated for remote rural areas. Key words: Keshan disease; Hypertension; Positive rates; Prevention and control strategy