Risk factors for the development of arterial hypertension.
OBJECTIVE
To examine risk factors for the development of primary arterial hypertension which is a significant health and public health problem throughout the world.


METHODS
This anamnestic study, conducted at the Primary Health Centre "Stari Grad" in Belgrade during 2006, included 63 new cases of arterial hypertension and 63 subjects who formed the control group. Patients and control group were individually matched to each other by sex, age (+/- 3 years) and place of residence. The survey instrument was a questionnaire based on socio-demographic characteristics of respondents (gender, age, residence, education level, occupation, marital status, socio-economic status) and habits (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity). Data analysis was performed by applying descriptive statistics (relative numbers) and inferential statistics (χ2 test).


RESULTS
There were significant differences in the level of education (p = 0,012) and current smoking status (p=0.017) between the group of patients with arterial hypertension and the control group. The subjects in the control group showed significantly longer consumption of schnapps (p=0.033) and beer (p=0.040) (more than 20 years). There was a significant difference in excessive body weight, and obesity measured by body mass index (p=0.006) and waist circumference (p=0.014) between these groups of patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Risk factors associated with arterial hypertension were low education, long smoking period, excessive body weight and obesity. These results indicate the necessity of introducing programs which should be imperative in future prevention of arterial hypertension.
Institute of Epidemiology, 2Institute of Social Medicine; Medical School, University of Belgrade, 3Primary Health Centre ''Stari Grad", 4City Institute for Skin and Venereal Diseases; Belgrade, Serbia.
Sandra
S
Sipetić Grujičić
Zorica
Z
Terzić Supić
Željka
Ž
Nikolić
Dragana
D
Gredić
Milan
M
Bjekić
Vesna
V
Bjegović
Isidora
I
Ratkov
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors