title: Prevalence of high-risk profile in middle-aged subjects with arterial hypertension: a nationwide survey.
abstract: Hypertension is the most common non-communicable disease and the leading cause of cardiovascular disease in the world. It presents an important public health challenge in both economically developed and developing countries. In 2006, the Lithuanian High Cardiovascular Risk programme was launched. The programme recruited men aged 40-54 and women aged 50-64 without overt cardiovascular disease. We analysed a group of 23,204 subjects included in the programme at the primary level. Arterial hypertension was present in 57.6% of the subjects: 63.2% in the females and 49.2% in the males. In the hypertensive middle-aged subjects, grade 1 hypertension was present in 53.1%, grade 2 in 22.4%, and grade 3 in merely 5.9% of the subjects. The prevalence of a minimum of three concomitant risk factors among the hypertensive patients was 78.0%, compared with 52.1% in the patients without hypertension (p < 0.001). Blood pressure goals were attained in 20.8% of the hypertensive women and in 14.4% of the hypertensive men. In Lithuania, a high prevalence of hypertension was characteristic of middle-aged subjects. Although the blood pressure elevation had not reached high levels, the presence of at least three risk factors concomitant to hypertension was more expressed in them compared with the non-hypertensive subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Vilnius University , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Aleksandras
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laucevičius
authors.forename: Egidija
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rinkūnienė
authors.forename: Zaneta
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Petrulionienė
authors.forename: Roma
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Puronaitė
authors.forename: Vytautas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kasiulevičius
authors.forename: Dalius
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jatužis
authors.forename: Ligita
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ryliškytė
authors.forename: Jolita
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Badarienė
authors.forename: Alma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cypienė
authors.forename: Rokas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Navickas
authors.forename: Romualdas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kizlaitis
authors.forename: Olivija
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gustienė
authors.forename: Rimvydas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Slapikas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008097:Lithuania / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents
keywords: Arterial hypertension; primary prevention; risk factors