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Hypertension and its epidemiological behavior in the rural population of Cumbe, Ecuador

Abstract:

Introduction and objective: hypertension (HT) is the major risk factor behind worldwide mortality, so the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and epidemiological behavior of HT in the rural parish of Cumbe, Cuenca, Ecuador. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional, field study was carried out in 374 individual male and female over 18 years old, who were applied a complete medical history. Qualitative variables were expressed in absolute and relative frequencies, while associations were evaluated using the chi-square test. Results: The prevalence of new diagnoses of HT was 10.4% (Women: 9.7%; Men: 1.9%) and known HT of 8.6% (Women: 9.7%; Men: 6.3%), representing an overall prevalence of 19% (19.4% in women and 18.2% in men). At the same time, a statistically significant association was observed with the age groups (χ2= 35.899; p <0.001), with an increase in the prevalence of HT as age increased. Likewise, there was a decrease in the known HT and new diagnoses of HT as the physical activity increased (χ2=13.427; p=0.037), while an increase in the prevalence of individuals with known HT (18.3%) and new diagnoses of HT (18.3%) was observed in obese individuals (χ2=23.026; p=0.001). Among individuals with known HT, only women presented controlled blood pressure being 62.5% according to JNC-7 and 70.8% according to JNC-8. Conclusion: In Cumbe, data on the prevalence of individuals with altered blood pressure is alarming, highlighting the low percentage of hypertensive patients aware of their condition and the totality of men with no control.