Prevalence, control and treatment of arterial hypertension in Nobres - MT.

BACKGROUND

Systemic Arterial Hypertension (SAH), considered a public health problem due to its high prevalence and difficult control, is also described as one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of SAH, as well as characteristics related to its control and treatment, among individuals aging between 18 and 90 years from the urban region of Nobres, MT.

METHODS

Cross-sectional, population-based study, with random sampling and with replacement. For classification of SAH, criteria included blood pressure (BP) > or =140/90 mmHg or current use of antihypertensive drugs. Individuals were interviewed with standardized questionnaires previously tested. Variables were described as means +/- standard deviations and frequencies. Means were compared with the Student s t test and associations were determined with the Pearson chi-square test, with a significance level of 5%.

RESULTS

SAH has a prevalence of 30.1% in the sample, composed of 1,003 individuals older than 18 years. Among hypertensive individuals (N = 302), 73.5% knew about their condition, 61.9% were under treatment and for 24.2% the BP was under control. A positive association was observed between SAH and age; illiteracy; less than 8 years education; BMI > or = 25 kg/m(2); high and very high waist circumference; waist-hip ratio (WHR) at risk level; sedentariness; and alcoholism.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that SAH represents an important public health problem even in a small district in the interior region of Brazil. Levels of control and treatment of hypertension in the population were higher than those observed in similar studies, but were considered not satisfactory.