Epidemiology of obesity and hypertension.

Based on the reviewed literature and the data from the düsseldorf Obesity Study there is a close association between obesity and hypertension. This association is found in adults, adolescents and children. Hypertension is the most frequent cardiovascular risk factor in obesity. The black population shows higher blood pressure levels than the white population within the same relative weight. Prospectively investigated normotensive obese subjects are more likely to develop hypertension than normal weight subjects. In Western population there is also an association between hypertension and age. This is not seen in tribal populations, where after the age of 20 years body weight does not increase, suggesting body weight to be an important factor for the regulation of blood pressure. Present epidemiological evidence strongly calls for detailed prospective studies of obesity and hypertension, in order to define particularly hypertension-prone obesity subtypes.