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Hypertension in Elderly Individuals from a City of Santa Catarina: A Population-Based Study

2015; Sociedade Brasileira de Virologia; Volume: 28; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5935/2359-4802.20150055

2359-5647

Tuany Martins Nunes, Anneta Marcon Martins, André Luciano Manoel, Daisson José Trevisol, Fabiana Schuelter‐Trevisol, Rodolfo Antônio Straioto Quirino Cavalcante, Felipe Zancan Espanhol, Tatiana Carvalho Reis Martins, Danúbia Felippe Grassi de Paula Machado, Roger Augusto Vieira e Silva,

Healthcare Regulation

Background: Aging is a global phenomenon. With population aging, there is an increase in the prevalence of non-transmissible chronic diseases, among which systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) is the most prevalent one. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of systemic arterial hypertension and associated factors in elderly individuals from the city of Tubarao, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Methods: Population-based cross-sectional study conducted with elderly individuals (≥ 60 years old) living in the city of Tubarao, Santa Catarina, Brazil, from September 2010 to May 2011. The individuals were interviewed and had their blood pressure (BP), weight and height checked. The variables analyzed were sex, age group, education level, ethnicity, alcoholism, smoking, obesity, physical activity and family history. Elderly individuals with blood pressure levels ≥140/90 mmHg or those using anti-hypertensive medication were considered hypertensive. Results: A total of 805 elderly individuals were interviewed, of which 699 (86.8%) were considered hypertensive. Of these, 56.2% had isolated systolic hypertension. All elderly individuals aged ≥ 80 had hypertension. The statistically significant variables were age, ethnicity, obesity and family history of hypertension. Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertension in elderly individuals was higher than that reported in research studies carried out in the city of Tubarao, Santa Catarina. The factors associated with hypertension were older age, nonwhite ethnicity, presence of obesity and positive family history.