Gender, socio-economic variables and target organ damage in new-diagnosed hypertensive patients.
The aim of the study as to ascertain whether gender and socio-economic variables can explain differences in the degree of severity of hypertension (HT) at the time of diagnosis. Patients were recently diagnosed and never-treated hypertensives, seen in primary care sites and aged 15-75. This study also included a cohort of normotensive patients. All individuals were invited to respond a questionnaire to collect socio-demographic and socio-economic data. Target organ damage (TOD) is considered a marker of severity. Three hundred and eighty-eight individuals responded to the questionnaire, 277 hypertensive, 111 normotensive. In an ordered probit model, the odds ratio of presenting with more than one TOD were: Aged >67 (OR=1.22; 1.06-1.38), being a smoker (OR=1.21; 1.02-1.40) or ex-smoker (OR=2.89; 1.27-4.51), primary school education (OR=2.17; 1.47-2.87), being male (OR=0.75; 0.59-0.90), being an agricultural worker (OR=0.03; 0.00-0.05) or a salaried professional (OR=0.96; 0.94-0.99). The results show differences in the severity of the HT in the initial assessment of the patient according to gender or other socio-economic variables. It is particularly important at the time of carrying out the diagnosis and the HT assessment.
de Tuero
Gabriel Coll
GC
Research Unit, Health Care Institute (IAS), Spain. gcolld@meditex.es
Barcelò
Maria Antònia
MA
Saez
Marc
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult