Arterial blood pressures and hypertension in a rural Nigerian community.

Abstract

In 1976 a blood pressure survey was conducted in Isiuwa village to determine the prevalence of hypertension in a rural Nigerian Community and the effect of re-examination of those subjects who were found to be 'hypertensive' at the primary screening. Out of the 2082 subjects aged 15 to 59 years examined at the primary screening, 123 (5.9%) were found to be hypertensive and when these 123 hypertensive subjects were re-examined 8 to 12 weeks later, only 44 (2.1%) subjects remained hypertensive. The phenomenon responsible for the reduction in yield of hypertensives is thought to be a real one in studies of apparently healthy populations. This phenomenon does not, however, diminish the prognostic significance of a casual elevation of blood pressure. The prevalence of hypertension is low in the community studied and some factors which may favourably affect blood pressures are discussed. The low prevalence of hypertension among the highly parous women in this community is similar to that found in a study among some rural Ghanaians but different to studies among some rural communities in Nigeria.