a Department of Medicine , University of Peradeniya , Peradeniya , Sri Lanka.
b Department of Community Medicine , University of Peradeniya , Peradeniya , Sri Lanka.
Clin Exp Hypertens. 2017;39(3):251-256. doi: 10.1080/10641963.2016.1246563.
Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in most countries and the past two decades have shown a global increase. Hypertension (HTN) was found to be the leading risk factor in 2010 as qualified by Disability Adjusted Life Years. Epidemiological studies in this regard in Sri Lanka are scarce. Thus, describing epidemiological patterns of HTN in the Sri Lankan population will help policy makers in planning preventive healthcare programs and aid in preparing strategies to cope with the increasing demand for healthcare facilities.
This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted at the Teaching Hospital Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, among newly diagnosed hypertensives according to the JNC 7 report, attending the hypertensive clinic through referral. Data were collected by an interviewer administered structured questionnaire, and epidemiological patterns were analyzed.
Among 244 newly diagnosed hypertensives, the mean age was 58.3 years (SD = 12.3) and the majority were females. 66.8% had stage 2 HTN (>160 mmHg) at the time of first presentation to a tertiary care center. There was no statistically significant difference of the stage of HTN based on sex, education level, occupation, marital status, consumption of alcohol, and smoking.
Majority of the population had very high blood pressure at first diagnosis, indicating delay in the detection of HTN at an early stage. Therefore, measures to increase the probability of early detection of HTN will be useful in reducing morbidity and mortality associated with HTN.
心血管疾病是大多数国家的主要死因，过去二十年全球发病率呈上升趋势。2010 年，高血压（HTN）被认为是导致伤残调整生命年（DALY）的主要危险因素。斯里兰卡在这方面的流行病学研究较少。因此，描述斯里兰卡人群中 HTN 的流行病学模式将有助于决策者规划预防保健计划，并有助于制定应对医疗设施需求不断增加的策略。
这是一项在斯里兰卡佩拉德尼亚教学医院进行的横断面描述性研究，研究对象为根据 JNC 7 报告新诊断为高血压的患者，通过转诊到高血压诊所就诊。通过访谈者管理的结构化问卷收集数据，并对流行病学模式进行分析。
在 244 名新诊断的高血压患者中，平均年龄为 58.3 岁（SD=12.3），女性居多。66.8%的患者在首次到三级保健中心就诊时已处于 2 期高血压（>160mmHg）。高血压分期与性别、教育程度、职业、婚姻状况、饮酒和吸烟无关，无统计学意义差异。
大多数患者在首次诊断时就已经有很高的血压，表明 HTN 的早期检测存在延迟。因此，采取措施提高 HTN 的早期检测率将有助于降低与 HTN 相关的发病率和死亡率。
