title: Distribution of blood pressure and prevalence of arterial hypertension in the old population of Cracow.
abstract: The aim of the present epidemiological study was to recognize the distribution of blood pressure (BP) and the prevalence of arterial hypertension (AH) in the aged (> or = 70 years) population in Cracow. The data were obtained from the studied group of 512 persons (153 men and 359 women) which corresponds to 72.4% of the randomly chosen group. The mean systolic BP was 159.7 in males and 164.3 mmHg in females (p < 0.05). Diastolic BP was 86.3 mmHg and 87.3 mmHg (n.s.), respectively. We observed the single peaked distribution of BP. According to the WHO epidemiological criteria of AH (BP > or = 160 = 95 mmHg) hypertension was found in 60.6% (49.7% M and 64.8% F) with systolic AH 32.3%, systolic+diastolic in 25.4% and diastolic AH alone in 2.9% of this group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Medical Academy, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kocemba
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gryglewska
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klich
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grodzicki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology