The prevalence of concomitant hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia in the general population.
OBJECTIVE
To study the joint prevalence of elevated blood pressure and raised total cholesterol in adult individuals and to estimate the multifactorial cardiovascular risk associated with this clustering.


METHODS
Data were obtained through pooling of databases from large cross-sectional representative population-based studies carried out in Belgium. Prevalences of concurrent hypertension (systolic/diastolic blood pressure > or =140/90 mm Hg and/or under antihypertensive treatment) and hypercholesterolaemia (total cholesterol > or =190 mg/dl and/or using lipid-lowering drugs) were determined as well as the proportion of high risk individuals (according to SCORE) in this particular subgroup.


RESULTS
In total, 16,300 men and 5075 women aged 35-74 years were included. The prevalences of hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia were, respectively, 41% and 84% in men and 31% and 82% in women. Both risk factors occurred simultaneously in 38% of men and 32% of women. In multivariate analysis, risk factor clustering was increasing with age and body mass index but appeared less prominent among smokers. Only 20% of all subjects having both risk factors were reaching a high multifactorial risk level of 5%.


CONCLUSIONS
The high prevalence of co-existing hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia further accentuates the need for adequate risk factor management in this substantial subgroup of our population especially in younger subjects.
De Bacquer
Dirk
D
Department of Public Health, Ghent University, Belgium. dirk.debacquer@ugent.be
De Backer
Guy
G
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors