Key result
Hypercholesterolemia is linked to ~309% greater odds of treated hypertension among Saudi adults.
Why the study?
Hypertension affects 1.3 billion adults globally, increasing risks of cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and kidney failure, motivating this nationwide profiling of affected individuals in Saudi Arabia.
In Saudi Arabia, 12.3% of adults report treated hypertension, which is strongly clustered with modifiable behavioral risks and cardiometabolic multimorbidity like diabetes and hypercholesterolemia.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May warrant integrated cardiometabolic screening in Saudi adults; extends prior observational data on multimorbidity but leaves causal questions open.
Background Hypertension is a major global health challenge affecting 1.3 billion adults, increasing risks of cardiovascular diseases, strokes, and kidney failure. Using data from a nationally representative surveillance system in Saudi Arabia, this study profiles adults living with treated or aware hypertension vs. the rest of the population and examines co-occurring sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical factors in 2021. Methods We analyzed data from the 2021 Sharik Health Indicators Surveillance System (SHISS), a nationwide cross-sectional phone survey employing proportional quota sampling across all 13 regions ( n = 14,007; response rate = 68.3%). Hypertension status was defined as self-reported physician diagnosis with current treatment; blood pressure was not directly measured, and the survey relied entirely on self-report. Weighted descriptive statistics summarized prevalence, and multivariable logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (AORs, 95% CIs) for factors associated with hypertension. The mean participant age was 36.7 ± 13.7 years. Results Overall, 12.3% of respondents reported treated/aware hypertension. Among these, common comorbidities included hypercholesterolemia (47.9%), diabetes (42.8%), overweight/obesity (75.2%), heart disease (20.2%), and elevated depression risk (23.8%). In adjusted models, higher age (AOR 1.06 per year, 95% CI 1.05–1.06), education below bachelor's (AOR 1.31, 1.14–1.50), smoking (daily AOR 1.23, 1.03–1.48; occasional AOR 1.64, 1.28–2.08), overweight (AOR 1.93, 1.20–3.11), and obesity (AOR 2.53, 1.57–4.08) were significantly associated with hypertension. Strong associations were also observed with hypercholesterolemia (AOR 4.09, 3.56–4.71), heart disease (AOR 3.54, 2.84–4.42), and diabetes (AOR 2.64, 2.28–3.05). Conclusions Adults aware of and treated for hypertension in Saudi Arabia exhibit a high burden of behavioral risks and multimorbidity. These findings can guide targeted primary care screening, integrated chronic disease management, and population-level risk reduction programs (e.g., smoking cessation, weight control), with priority to older adults, individuals with lower educational attainment, and those with co-existing diabetes or dyslipidemia.
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Senitan et al. (2026) studied this question. In Saudi Arabia, 12.3% of adults reported treated/aware hypertension, with hypercholesterolemia being the strongest associated comorbidity.
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