Hypertension and obesity in African-American patients undergoing surgery.
This study was designed to determine the prevalence of hypertension and obesity in a population of African-American patients scheduled to undergo surgery. Weight and blood pressure were measured in 431 randomly selected patients. This included 282 women (65%) and 149 men (35%). Hypertension was present in 27% of the women and 32% of the men. Obesity was present in 58% of the women and 23% of the men. Fifteen percent of all patients met the criteria for having both hypertension and obesity. This study confirms the high incidence of hypertension and obesity in the African-American population. The high morbidity and mortality associated with these conditions suggest that a renewed community-wide effort and public education program on the part of health-care providers is needed to inform this patient population of these dangers.
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Department of Anesthesiology, Southwest Hospital and Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
D044383:Black People; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D001741:Black or African American