Hypertension studies in China.

Hypertension accounts for 25-50% of all deaths in China each year and its prevalence has been found to be increasing for the past 20 years. Blood pressure surveys showed that urban populations had a higher prevalence as well as an earlier and more rapid rise in prevalence rates than rural populations. Northern and northeastern districts, and the more prosperous eastern part of China also had higher prevalence rates. Community control of hypertension has been organized since 1969, and an obvious leftward shift of systolic and diastolic blood pressure was noticed after 10 years of community control. Stroke is much more common than acute myocardial infarction, its annual incidence rate (130-160 per 100,000) being five fold higher (1). Based upon the above situations, an outline is given of the studies which have been carried out in China in the past 5 years.