Prevalence of Pre-hypertension and Hypertension in a sample of Egyptian Adults and its Relation to Obesity

Objective: to study the prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension in Egyptian adults and its relation to obesity. Subjects and Methods: The blood pressure of 5534 Egyptian subjects was measured (2663 females - 2871 males) aged 20 to 75 years old. They represented different geographic localities and different social classes. Anthropometric measurements including height, weight, waist circumferences, and hip circumferences were also measured. Waist to hip ratio and body mass index (BMI) were calculated. Fasting blood sugar was tested. Results: The prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension was 49.22 % (54.4 and 43.1 for males and females) and 16.84 %( 18.5% and 15.1% for males and females) respectively. There was a tendency to increase of both prehypertension and hypertension in males as compared to females. The percentages of the hypertensive individuals were increased with age and degree of obesity. Prehypertension was higher in the cases having glucose intolerance, while hypertension was increased mainly in those suffering from diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: High rates of prehypertension and hypertension were observed in the studied Egyptian adults. Overweight/obesity and diabetes are important risk factors for hypertension. Strategies that can enhance public awareness of hypertension and increase access to affordable medications are urgently needed.